Snow globe
by MiyuWrites
Summary: "It is said that if you shake the snow globe while making a wish, it will come true/Many people said that it was true/Could it also be true to you?" Or, how not to write a cheesy Christmas movie plot. Natsu/Gray. AU.
1. Introduction

**Snow Globe**

Chapter One - Introduction

_It is said that if you shake the snow globe while making a wish, it will come true._

_Many people said that it was true._

_Could it also be true to you?_

* * *

The streets were mostly empty, the town still in slumber under a blanket of snow.

Snow had been falling more regularly so there was mostly the hustle and bustle of the town maintenance crews. The sun was starting to breach the horizon but Natsu was entering the coffeehouse. He had some things to set up before Erza's products could be placed in the showcase.

Natsu let out a breath. The coffeehouse might be still and a bit cold to how he was used to it, but it was much warmer than outside.

For there was a crispiness that seemed to have been added to the air, a sharp coldness that seemed to freeze a person from the inside-out, no matter how well bundled one might be. Though, Natsu couldn't help but think it was good business for both his coffeehouse and the teahouse that was nearby. Everyone was welcome to come inside and get warmed up.

Magnolia's favourite festivity was coming, and that meant that the craziness in the town would shoot up. But it was always great fun. Some people had already started decorating their houses and it was just the beginning of the month.

Natsu had busied himself with starting all the necessary machines, lighting the space, righting the seats of the tables in the centre of the room and was starting to order the necessary things at the counter. A few trips from the kitchen to the counter and then the pastries were all set in the showcase. Natsu couldn't help but be amazed both at the look but also the flavour; Erza sure was outdoing herself as of late!

Everything was set. Now, it was time for the really early birds of customers to get inside. It was just a matter of time and there were some regulars who were bound to be appearing in a few moments.

Natsu flipped the sign at the door and the first zombie-like customers dragged themselves in. Well, one of them was much more zombie-like than the other.

The greeting was in the tip of Natsu's tongue but he knew that it would go unheard. He knew that only one thought was running through the minds of these people and that word was _coffee_. The pleasantries had to wait.

"So, what's it going to be for you today, Levy?" Natsu asked chirpily. The combo of mumble and glare he received made him grin. "I see, the usual. How about you, Elfman?"

"Coffee. Black." Was the stilted answer.

"Sure thing." He said before busying himself with preparing the coffees. "Do you want a pastry?" he added, distractedly glancing at them.

"This." Was the answer he got, said at the same time in different voices as each pointed at the preferred pastry.

"Okay. Go sit. I'll bring the drinks to you." Some mumbles were the only answer he got.

Humming, Natsu finished preparing the coffees and turned to get the pastries; a chocolate croissant for Levy and an oatmeal muffin for Elfman. The latter looked cute with small cookie antlers and eyes, while the nose and mouth were applied on the side.

Natsu calmly served his friends at the table because the first wave of customers were about to come; the Quatro Cerberus group was supposed to be finishing the maintenance of the streets and whatnot and they were bound to arrive at any minute. And then there would be a break until the morning rush hour. It was a good thing that his friends and colleagues were getting there – finally. So he walked towards the kitchen, stopping and leaning against the door jamb.

"Good timing…" Natsu said teasingly.

"Oh, shush." Lisanna shot back with an eye roll as she finished tying her apron.

"What? It's about time you got here."

"Your idea to open the coffeehouse half an hour earlier than usual to give a bit of a respite to the early workers is tiring." She said as she lightly punched Natsu in the arm.

"Hey, it wasn't all me. You guys were in on it too. Now, come up to the front, Kinana should be coming around soon too. And we're starting to have customers."

"You're so silly, Natsu." Lisanna said as she went to the counter. And right on time because the first members of Quatro Cerberus were entering the coffeehouse.

Natsu and Lisanna quickly took care of the orders and, as expected, the semi-calm came. Natsu leaned against the counter and looked around the coffeehouse. It was warm and cosy, the light walls giving some room for breathing. At the same time, the walls to his left and front were filled with booths while the one to his right, where the windows were, had tables with comfortable seats. More of such tables and chairs littered the middle of the coffeehouse. And Natsu knew that in a bit, lots of people would be filling said tables.

He then looked at the table by the entrance. That was where announcements, pamphlets and such were left and, in a place of relevance, was a snow globe.

There was a story behind the snow globe. It was said that it would make wishes come true. Well, wishes made when a person shook the snow globe while making them, that is.

It was something that brought some people, especially kids, to the coffeehouse. Sometimes there would be a line of people. Natsu found it cute. And he would like for it to be true but he was too pragmatic to believe in such a thing, despite some friends having done it and swearing by the snow globe.

Yet, Natsu had never shaken the small globe and made his wish. The only times he would touch the thing were when he was cleaning and, of course, that he had to pick it up. A few of the tiny snowflakes would twirl around the snowman inside but that was all. He didn't pay it enough mind.

Usually Natsu was busy, work and friends took a good chunk of his time. His whole group was pretty close and tended to find trouble, or have trouble finding them… until the moment Erza put a stop to it, that is. If there was something people in the town knew, it was that Erza could be pretty scary sometimes. The only ones to face her head on were Mirajane and Cana. And sometimes the battles of wills between the three were said to cause avalanches. No-one dared getting in the way when _that_ kind of storm was brewing. And now the group had a big project in hands, preparing the several events of the Christmas celebrations. It was a lot of work, and pretty crazy.

Of course that among all of that, he always had a small hole that couldn't be filled and for which the phone or video calls couldn't suffice. His father, Igneel was always travelling and hadn't come home in years and that saddened Natsu a bit. He missed the comforting warmth and calm that seemed to surround his father at most times. It was home.

So, not to let those thoughts reach him, Natsu's solution was to work. He was even taking some secret baking lessons with Erza.

During work time Natsu had a lot of fun with Lisanna. She was his best friend since they were little and they knew each other pretty well.

Lisanna was telling Natsu stories of the renovation that Magnolia's Inn was undergoing. Her sister Mirajane was the owner of the inn and she seemed to be ready to flay the contractor and workers because they seemed to have forgotten what was supposed to be renovated and it was utter chaos.

"But," Lisanna was saying, "I'm sure that in a couple of days things will be back on track. You know Mira…" she exchanged a look with Natsu before they burst out laughing.

"Yeah, I know Mira… those people are in for some terror." Natsu said amidst his laughter.

"Yesterday Elfman had to mediate so that there was some peace. You know Elfman."

"How did they endure the manly speeches?" Natsu said in mock horror. "But now I know why he was acting so curt earlier…"

"Elfman prefers to sleep during his nights." Lisanna said in a nonchalant tone. "He's not so into having to escape from the line of fire for those couple of hours before he has to go to the town hall…"

"I bet."

"Still, there's time until Christmas. So everything's going to be up and running on time. And I heard that we might have more guests this year compared to last."

"That's great news."

"Yep. Those guests probably bring kids so Bisca and Alzack are going to make some money."

"It's all good." Natsu agreed. "Hopefully it will be a good season for us all."

"Yeah." Lisanna agreed. "Oh, but now let's finish this. The rush hour is upon us."

And so, the pair started getting things ready for the upcoming hurdle of the day.

Later, they had dinner with Lucy and Levy before parting for the day.

Natsu went to bed thinking that things were going well – everything seemed to be going according to plan.

They'd noticed that there had been more movement in the town but the coming snows would cut the pass that was up north of the town – to go to the other side people would have to go the long way, use the southern road. Fortunately that one didn't tend to close off.

The next few days went by without much difference.

They got into the groove of the routine, with some customers and the two main maintenance teams of the town appearing at the coffeehouse early and keeping them all busy. But they had a lot of fun amid all the work and running around.

And then, things changed.

Two people – city people – got to the town's main road and the car broke.

The harried duo got out of the car and walked into the coffeehouse.

And outside, snow started falling, hard.

* * *

**A/N**: Disclaimer: I live in a place with Mediterranean climate so this is just an idealized view of snowy weather. I do know that when it becomes brown sludge it's plain awful, though.

Then again, it's an alternate universe that is situated in wherever. This whole thing is just fiction.  
Beware the cheese and enjoy the result of my almost fevered dream. Welcome to the madness.  
A big thank you to my friends for the beta. All mistakes are my own, though.  
Thanks for reading.


	2. The Strangers

**Chapter Two - The Strangers**

Gray Fullbuster was known for being quite competent. If there was something he saw, he would go after it. And his work at the head of the editorial team was seen in high regard by not only his colleagues and the people who dealt with the Ice-Make House but also by those outside.

The publishing company had started as a familiar endeavour – well, not just of _one_ family but of some friends that had become family – that had grown and grown. They were still on the smaller side, as a company, but their name already made heads turn, the quality of the works therein published was starting to speak for itself.

And Gray had quite a bit of work to do.

He worked with a tireless group of editors to make sure that the people that put their trust in them wouldn't be disappointed. It was a lot of responsibility.

"I will see you, then." Gray was saying on the phone before placing it back in its holder.

"Here's the new data Lyon-san sent," Juvia, Gray's assistant, said as she placed a pile of papers on the corner of the desk.

"Thanks, Juvia." Gray murmured as he scribbled a few notes down. "Oh, we're supposed to go meet our new writer, Mister Jellal Fernandes, at his town. Here's the info, could you take care of that?"

"Sure, Gray-sama." Juvia took the piece of paper and left to her desk.

Gray leaned back in his chair and let out a huff. This new writer was a slightly complicated case. But was so worth it. A beep coming from his phone brought him back from his musings.

_still up for lunch?_

Gray chuckled.

_of course_

After sending the text Gray looked at the time. He still had a meeting in the afternoon with Lyon about the data Juvia had just brought so he better start looking at the papers. Which he did.

Gray immersed himself so much in the work that Juvia knocking on the doorjamb to remind him of the time was a momentary shock.

"Wha-what?" Gray muttered, blinking a couple of times to clear his sight before seeing the time. "Shit! I'm late!" he closed the binder he was reading and grabbed his phone, putting it in his pocket before starting to head out only to pause at a voice.

"Coat!" Juvia said, knowing Gray way too well by now.

Gray grabbed his coat from the rack and put it on, thanking Juvia on his way back and arching an eyebrow at the strange look she had on her face. But he shrugged it on and kept going. He was late.

* * *

He and Wendy got inside the restaurant and Gray saw Sting and Rogue right away.

They were at their usual table, and seemingly had already ordered some amuse-bouches and drink. They seemed to be in a deep conversation but stopped when they noticed them. They stood and smiled at Wendy.

"Sorry I'm late. I met Wendy on the way and invited her. It's no problem, right?" Gray arched an eyebrow. At least they would know what not to talk about. And it was quite a relief for Gray, actually.

"Of course not." Sting scoffed before turning to Wendy. "How are you?"

"Hi… I apologize, I didn't mean to impose…"

"Nonsense. You're welcome to eat with us." Sting affirmed, glancing at his partner who nodded. Rogue seemed distracted and when his phone started ringing he excused himself and went to a more secluded place to answer it.

"Is everything alright?" Gray asked, already sitting and perusing his menu.

"Just a big-ass headache of a case. I hope he doesn't have to leave." Sting was flipping over his menu again.

"I hope everything goes well." Wendy chimed in.

"It's Rogue," Sting said emphatically, "of course that it will go well."

"That's for sure." Gray said before changing the whole air of the conversation. "So, what have you decided to eat?"

They were interrupted by Rogue who returned to the table. The even more sombre look told them what was about to happen.

"You have to go?" Sting said right away.

"Yeah, Rufus just called. I have to be there before..." he paused, heaving a short huff before nodding apologetically at everyone at the table. "I'll talk to you later. Wendy, it was a pleasure to see you again." And with that, he was leaving.

"That's a bummer." Gray mumbled. Sting seemed to overhear him and tilted his head to the side in what could be seen as agreement.

Their waiter approached the table and the trio ended up ordering the food and started chatting about inconsequential things. Even if slightly more subdued.

As the meal neared its end and coffee and dessert had been ordered, Sting leaned forward conspiratorially and, as Wendy had excused herself for a moment, finally asked the question he'd been burning to ask.

"So? Did you do it?"

"No, I didn't." Gray answered, slightly grouchy, with an eye roll.

"Why not? We told you already. You have to go there and-" Sting started saying.

"And nothing. I'm busy, Sting." Gray answered curtly.

"You're such a workaholic." Was shot back at him.

"As if either of you could say anything…" Gray teased.

"At least I have Rogue by my side."

"And I have my family. And my work."

"You're impossible. Stop trying to turn this around." Sting was getting annoyed.

Wendy chose that moment to return.

"Sorry guys, but I have a class soon. It's time for me to go. How much-?" She started to reach for her purse but Gray stopped her.

"Hey, I invited you. I pay."

"Thanks." She said as she finished getting ready. "I'll call you later." With a quick kiss on the cheek to both Gray and Sting, she left too.

There was a small stalemate in the conversation for a beat until Gray waved at the waiter for the check.

"Well, it's time for me to go too. I have a meeting with Lyon and need to sort some things before I have to leave. New writer, y'know." He ended with a shrug.

"Oh, so you're going to meet this new writer? You usually don't do that…"

"No, but you know how it is. To some authors we like to give the VIP treatment," Gray started saying seriously before chuckling. "Not really, though this Jellal does have an amazing potential. But you know that there are some people the boss has a feeling about."

"I bet Ur would love to hear you call her that…"

"Oh shush!" Gray shot back, blushing a little.

"You should do it at the company's Christmas party." Sting teased.

"If everything goes well, I won't be attending the Christmas party." Gray said coldly.

"Sorry, for a moment I forgot that… _Christmas_…" Sting said with a grimace.

"Don't worry. Some people still do." Gray said in a still chilly tone. The waiter came with the check and Gray paid. It was only after he had left that Gray turned to Sting with a slight smirk. "Next lunch's on you."

"Fine." That word was the embodiment of the act of eye rolling.

They chuckled.

After leaving a hefty tip, as was their usual, the duo left the restaurant.

Walking on the chilly air felt good for Gray.

There was a silence between them but it was comfortable, companionable.

"I'll talk to you later," Sting said once again as they reached the place where their paths diverged.

"No stress. We have to meet one day, when Rogue isn't busy too." Gray extended his hand. Sting clasped it with a sharp smile before they broke it off and walked in different directions.

* * *

The meeting had been long, laborious and a bore. Gray was happy to be back in his office, packing to finally go home.

He could hear Juvia typing, from beyond the door. It was usual and there was a quasi-comfortable quality to it. Almost like home.

His phone pinged and so he quickly checked to see that Lyon had already sent him the info he'd promised and there was also an email about the upcoming visit. Quickly scanning the information Gray licked his lips before placing down his phone. He turned off his computer and gathered all the things.

"Juvia, don't forget to pack warmly. Looks like it's going to be very cold in that area." Gray placed the phone in his pocket. "As you know, we'll leave after lunch. So we need to leave everything properly. I count on you for that. Have a good night."

And with that he left for the day.

* * *

So, the trip wasn't exactly going too smoothly.

Despite them having GPS and a map, they had gotten themselves lost. And then the GPS went bust and they got lost and Juvia let the map get wet until the form of mush before, finally, the car they were using started to malfunction. They didn't have much of a chance beyond turning to the next town they saw, Magnolia it was called, and hope there would be a mechanic in there to fix the problem and help them out.

Then, as they got further inside the town, Gray started to feel the press of all the Christmas decorations that seemed to permeate everything – but everything, really, even the air! – in the town. And then the car died. Fortunately it was in the middle of stopping by the sidewalk. Hopefully parking was allowed in there, Gray thought.

"Come on. Let's go find a way out of this damn town in the middle of nowhere." Gray grumbled, his bad mood settling on his shoulders like a cloak.

"Are you alright, Gray-sama?" Juvia asked in a careful tone.

"I'll be fine. If only this Christmas-loving town was less… Christmas-y…"

"It will be alright, Gray-sama. Juvia knows it." She said encouragingly while placing a hand on his arm.

Gray let his head hit the headrest and huffed. His eyes closing while memories flashed in his mind's eye.

_Gray being with Lyon waiting to open the presents that were under the tree. This Christmas they were celebrating at Ur's. His parents were coming to Ur's._

_The music and scent of food that permeated the air. The fireplace with the overstuffed socks, all the colours of the tree, his full belly after a great dinner. The movies they'd seen on the telly. The songs he and Lyon sang and the silly detective game they did while they waited. Ultear had been annoyed at their antics so she had left but they still found themselves in her room – she was the culprit to making time seem longer. The snow falling into a pure white blanket on the other side of the window, while the moon seemed to peek timidly to bathe it in its silvery light. There was a lot of expectation, of joy._

_Then, the doorbell rang. Gray stood up in a jump and hurried to the door. Ur was opening it but, Gray stopped, those weren't his parents._

_Two tall men, policemen he'd learned later, were shrouded in graveness._

_Before he was dragged back by Ultear there were a few words that came across the fog that seemed to have taken to Gray's mind._

**_Sorry._**

**_Car accident._**

**_Deceased._**

_That was when his life shattered into a million pieces._

His parents had died on Christmas Eve, while they were going to Ur's house. And since then, to Gray, Christmas had lost all of its joy.

It was just another day, like so many others, where people just pretended to be happy and wish good things upon others when in reality everyone was just a selfish asshole.

_Christmas Magic_

A banner in the window of a store announced. Gray scoffed at it as he got rid of the seatbelt and got out of the car. Juvia was by his side.

He felt _tired_. And just a drive shouldn't have done that to him. But, probably the whole Christmas ambiance of the town had taken away his remaining energy.

"Let's go get some help at that coffeehouse," Gray said. "I could have a coffee myself."

"Yes, Gray-sama."

The pair walked into the Fairy Tail coffeehouse.

As they entered, snow was falling behind them.


	3. Meeting

**Chapter Three - Meeting**

Natsu heard the bell ring and two newcomers entered. They were from out of town and their car had broken down on the curb – some customers had been commenting about them earlier and Natsu would never be surprised about how fast news travelled in the town…

The pair walked to the counter and Natsu could almost feel the dark clouds that seemed to be hanging over the man.

"Hi. What can I get you?" he asked in his usual cheerful tone.

"I want a coffee." The man said before looking at his partner, waiting.

"Juvia would have a glass of water." She said after clearing her throat.

"Right away." Natsu turned quickly before they could see his slightly dumbfounded expression and started preparing the coffee as well as the glass of water. "Anything else?" he asked pleasantly, seeing how the woman seemed to be looking at the sweets. "You guys aren't from here, right?"

"How did you notice?" the man said sardonically.

"It wasn't difficult." Natsu paused for a beat, placing the drinks on the counter. "So I imagine that you don't know that the northern pass is already blocked."

"What?" the man said.

"Yeah, and there are more bad news. The weather has been pretty bad for the time of the year and we just had word that the road you came through, the south road, has been closed too. It just happened, really."

"Wait. What does that mean?"

"Huuh…" Natsu scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I think that it means that you guys are stuck in our town?" The weird noise the other emitted just wasn't funny because of the blood curdling glare he was throwing. "But, you two are welcome to stay for the couple of days that it will take for things to go back to normal and the roads to be open again."

"I can't believe this…" the man was muttering in disbelief.

"Juvia would like this cupcake." The woman pointed at the peppermint-chocolate cupcake in the showcase.

Natsu wordlessly complied.

"How much is this?" the other man asked.

"It will be 1500 jewels." Natsu answered. He was handed a black, glossy card. Quickly going through the motions, the bill was paid off and the duo walked into one of the comfortable seats that were by the window. It looked as if there were a cloud – a very gloomy cloud – hanging over their heads.

Natsu felt compelled to go there.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lisanna whispered on his ear as he walked by the kitchen door. She had a hand holding his wrist.

"Huh, going to talk to them? Show them the town ropes a bit? I was thinking that they could go to the Inn. Mira would accept, right?"

"Right, and then you would have Laxus walking around in a bikini in the freezing snow." She slapped him in the upside of his head. "What happened?"

"I have no clue about what you're talking about." Natsu answered honestly.

"You're acting weird. To a customer. An out-of-town customer, might I add." Lisanna arched one eyebrow. "So, what's the deal?"

"There's no deal." Natsu answered with an eye roll. "I just don't think that anyone should be feeling this forlorn in this season."

"The season is just beginning, you silly." She matched Natsu with an eye roll of her own. "But, fine, I will go with you to talk to them and call my sister. Maybe she won't shoot me next time she sees me."

"You talk as if Mira would do something to you." Natsu snickered. "You're her favourite sister."

"I'm the only sister she has. Elfman is a boy, in case you haven't noticed…"

"No." Natsu cut in. "He's not a boy. He's a _man_."

"Oh, shush, you." The pair snickered while walking to the two strangers.

"Hi. I'm Lisanna and this is Natsu," she pointed towards him, "and we would like to give you some information, as you seem to have been caught unaware and have car trouble."

That elicited a suspicious look from the strangers.

"How do you know?" the man said.

"News travel fast in this town." Lisanna said in a carefree way. "So, welcome to Magnolia – I think that it was time you got a welcome."

"I'm Gray, and this is my assistant, Juvia." The man, Gray, said. "This was not on the plans."

"I bet it wasn't. But that's the thing about plans, they're always bound to happen, right Natsu?" she asked with a subtle elbow to the side.

"Oh, yes. And we're going to call ahead so that a couple of rooms – or, huh, a room? – are being prepared."

"Two rooms is fine," Gray said.

The woman, Juvia, seemed to be distracted from the conversation, gazing focusedly at Gray.

"Well then." Natsu said. "Lisanna will accompany you to the Inn. It's not too far but the snow has been falling harder since you two got inside. We can't have you going lost."

"When you're ready to go, just call." Lisanna said, all smiles.

Gray nodded and went back to look down at his coffee.

"That went well." Lisanna concluded as they rounded the counter.

"You were laying it a bit thick, no?" Natsu said with a snort.

"Me? Nah. Never." She answered with a wink.

"I really don't know what goes through that head of yours…" Natsu said in a disparaging tone as Lisanna slipped to the kitchen to make the important phone call.

Not many more people came in, the falling snow not too enticing for walks outside. And so Natsu just sat behind the counter and looked outside – though he couldn't help but find his sight straying to the strangers.

At long last the duo stood and approached the counter.

"We're ready to go." Gray said.

"Cool. Let me call Lisanna." Natsu said as he stood. But Lisanna came from the back almost as if she'd been waiting for those words.

"Shall we go?" she asked in that perky way of hers.

"Sure. Thanks for the help." Gray said.

The trio started heading out but, as the two women were walking out the door, Gray turned and caught sight of the snowglobe.

"What's this?"

"Oh, it's just the snow globe. People say that if can make wishes come true." Natsu said. "It brings quite a few people here, especially kids. Apparently the wishes you make with all your heart while shaking the snow globe do come true. Some people say it's almost a miracle."

* * *

That phrasing didn't sound good to Gray. More, it landed like lead on his stomach.

"I don't believe in miracles." Gray said dryly.

"Hey, I'm just saying what I overheard." The other said, raising his hands in his defence. "All I know is that it doesn't hurt. And lots of people get smiles out of it."

Gray looked down at the snow globe. He couldn't help himself from snorting at his own actions but he grabbed the globe, seeing the snowman inside and the fake snow starting to spiral at the bottom, the glitter bits also adding lots of colours.

Gray closed his eyes and shook it. Making a wish.

_I want to find my way home._

It was pretty simple, almost silly. And Gray couldn't help opening his eyes, letting out a breath and placing the thing down, shaking his head at himself.

"Thanks for the advice. Bye." He said to the other over his shoulder before leaving the warm space.

Outside, Juvia and Lisanna were waiting by the car. They seemed to be shifting their weight from foot to foot, as an attempt to not be too cold.

Gray didn't understand why. The temperature was totally bearable.

But they go get their bags and headed to the inn to get settled.

* * *

The room was cosy and pleasant. There was enough room for him to feel at home. Except…

There was a theme that permeated the whole inn. Something that was grating on Gray's nerves since he'd set foot in the establishment – though, to be fair, the grating feeling had mostly started since they'd stopped in the town.

_Christmas._

There was _Christmas_ all around _him_.

And even if he had pilled all the Christmas-y things behind the armchair by the window it wasn't possible to escape it because even the windows were decorated with fairy lights and they twinkled and changed colours and Gray's patience was wearing thin.

More. The wifi was down. At least he still had his telephone – he'd already called Lyon and _complained_. He'd complained so much that Lyon had just hung up to his face. Fortunately that made him calm down a little before calling Ur. Because if he made such a call to Ur she would totally come barging into the town and at least the problem with being stuck in there would be solved.

The silly thought of imagining Ur fighting – and beating – the forces of nature made Gray chuckle to himself. He had no doubt that she would come out victorious.

With a sigh Gray sat on the armchair and looked outside. Visibility wasn't all that great because there was still snow falling but the lights, the damned lights, they did look pretty.

The falling snow was calming to Gray.

It was somewhat nonsensical.

His parents had died in what was probably a night like this one – he was a bit fuzzy on some things sometimes – and yet the snow was calming to him.

Gray opened the window, cleared it a bit and sat on the windowsill. It was cold but also comforting. The fluffiness of the snow, the harsh ice that was left behind. It could all be very misleading – but that was also where the beauty of it was.

Extending his hands out, Gray let some snow fall on his hand.

He sat like that, almost in a trance-like state.

And then a knock on the door pulled him out of it.

"Gray-sama?" Juvia's voice came from the outside. And with it, the slight calm that Gray had managed to get went up in smoke. "It is time for dinner."

Heaving out a deep breath, Gray stood up and closed the window. "I'm coming, wait just a moment." He said as he quickly changed his now wet trousers for a new set and, upon a quick glance around the room, he also decided to fetch a new shirt.

In no time he was in the slightly nauseating corridor – even the smell! – and heading downstairs to the inn's restaurant.

Hopefully the food wasn't also thematic.

* * *

After Natsu and Lisanna left the coffeehouse, as their shift had ended, they headed to Cana's house. She was probably home already.

The group of friends had been decorating each other's houses together and having dinner, so they could spend a little time together as things in the town would get busier in the next few weeks.

"They were nice," Lisanna said as they walked on the sidewalk, heading to Cana's.

"Hm?" Natsu asked, burrowing slightly on his oversized parka.

"Sister's new guests." She said. But Natsu knew that smile.

"Oo-kay…" he said cautiously. "And what does that have to do with anything?" Natsu paused and Lisanna did too a couple of steps ahead.

"Nothing…" she replied teasingly.

"Hm," Natsu was unconvinced. "You'll have to tell me how you did it so that Mira didn't kill you."

"It's the perks of being the favourite sister." She said with a wink.

The snort that came from Natsu was expected.

"Come on. I can already see Cana's house. I want to eat."

"You're such a glutton," Lisanna said affectionately.

"You love me."

"Pffft. As if!"

And they walked the rest of the path while elbowing each other.

When they got to Cana's the door was opened by Lucy. She was yelling something back and rolling her eyes but a bright smile shone on her face before she threw herself at them, hugging them.

"Come in, come in! It's about time you got here. Erza and Cana are arguing over something and I just can't handle those two." She rolled her eyes.

The pair was dragged inside and before long, their coats were at the door and they were in the living room where a whole mess was taking place. The tree was on the corner, close to both the window and the fireplace but on the floor it looked like a warzone. Tinsel and baubles, lights and thread – and Natsu did a double take because, what the hell? – were scattered on the floor. The only decoration was actually the sock that was hanging by the mantle.

Natsu and Lisanna looked around in some shock and then, in the middle of the room, on the floor and covered in tinsel and fake snow, sat Erza and Cana and they were arguing about something at the same time that they were unravelling some lights that had been knotted into balls.

"What is going on in here?" Lisanna asked.

"They've been arguing since we brought the decorations. Apparently Cana wasn't too… careful… in storing things. And so Erza has been giving her an earful. And this is where we are." She shrugged. "They're just bickering now."

The duo stopped the bickering and looked at their friends before half-formed balls of tinsel were thrown their way, and Erza and Cana started laughing.

That was the moment Natsu's stomach chose to growl super loudly.

There was a beat of silence before laughter filled the room once again.

"I'm hungry, okay?" Natsu said, his cheeks a flaming pink.

"Come on, let's go eat." Cana said, standing up and untangling herself from the lights and tinsel before heading to the kitchen. "Set the table, will you?" she said to the room at large.

A flurry of movement followed and before long they were all sitting in the sofas and on the floor around the coffee table. Dishes, glasses and cutlery were distributed, napkins followed and then spaghetti Bolognese was being heaped into dishes and eaten. There was a bit of slurping around that elicited some side eyeing.

"So, it seems like we got some visitors today?" Lucy asked.

"Is that why Mira isn't here tonight?" Erza asked in turn.

"No, Mira had to see to the customers and some other things. She's getting ready to be all busy."

"But she's going to be very busy on the next few weeks. She had said that she was coming to help." Cana mumbled into her red wine.

"There's nothing that we can do today." Lucy said consolingly. "But, how are those strangers, then?"

"My, you're curious…" Lisanna teased.

"You know how it is. I need to find new bits of information."

"You call it information." Natsu said with a laugh only to shut up and innocently go back to his plate.

"C'mon, don't be assholes. Tell us who those strangers are." Lucy nearly whined.

"Fine, fine." Lisanna replied with a huff. "They're from the city and needed to go to another city…"

"You're terrible, Lisanna." Natsu said with a snort.

"They wanted to use the north pass but as you know, we're kind of isolated until the clean-up teams get it done."

"Oh goody…" Natsu said sarcastically.

"Shush you. Don't pretend that I didn't see you." Lisanna threw her balled-up napkin at Natsu.

"See what?" Erza asked, and Lucy and Cana were leaning forward too attentive too.

"She didn't see anything. You know Lisanna. At the end of the shift she starts seeing things." Natsu threw an unsubtle glare at his friend. "But now we have two new people in town and they don't exactly seem too keen on it."

"Maybe we should try to give them some of the Christmas spirit?" Lucy offered.

"That's not a bad idea. But, speaking of Christmas spirit, we still have a lot to do today." Lisanna said, pointing to the mostly bare tree.

"After dinner!" Natsu said around a mouthful.

"Yes, only after we finish eating." Cana said raising her glass in toast.

The friends ended toasting and putting some order in the chaos. The house got decorated. And, all in all, it was a chill evening with friends.


	4. Wandering

**Chapter Four - Wandering**

Morning came. And that, to Gray, meant that he was up at 11 am. Gray managed to slip from the Inn, having evaded Juvia and had a quick cup of coffee and then found himself walking down the overly decorated streets.

It really seemed like the town lived and breathed Christmas.

And that was something that was appalling to Gray.

The snow crunched underfoot but the noises and scents and lights were too much. Gray walked faster down the main road until he finally noticed something that changed his whole demeanour.

If it were a film, the whole town would be in black and white and then there would be this beacon of light and colour. It called to him. I made the world become colourful again.

It was a _bookstore_.

Gray knew that he shouldn't be surprised for seeing that this nearly hidden town had one but it just lifted his spirits instantly. Gray strode to it, almost like how metal is attracted to a magnet.

He walked inside and, beyond the noise of the overhead bell, everything was silent and still.

'But… it says "open", right?" Gray turned to look back and, yes, it was open. But there was no-one in sight.

"Hello?" Gray stepped further inside, taking in the comforting surroundings with walls covered by bookshelves, a line of tables overflowing with books and the counter and two very comfortable-looking areas that just demanded to be sat on and to have a nice read. Gray's hand itched to find a book and lose himself in that world for a while, to forget all about his current predicament and uncomfortable place.

"Is anyone…" a blond haired girl appeared from the backroom and her eyes caught Gray instantly. "Oh, sorry. Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked walking towards Gray in a way that he'd experienced before but in a menacing way while she only seemed to radiate curiosity.

"Huh. No, I don't think so. I was just… yeah, just having a look around. Books, you know?" he ended with a smile. And that seemed to have an effect on the girl because her smile radiated happiness.

"Yes. I do know. Books are the best, right?" she said with a dreamy sigh. Then she extended her hand, "I'm Lucy, co-owner of Celestial Books."

"I'm Gray." He said, shaking her hand firmly.

Something shifted in the way she was looking at him but it didn't seem off to Gray.

"Yes, Gray. You're the person from out of town." She stated plainly.

"You're all very well-informed here, huh?" Gray asked with a small chuckle.

"Heh, it's part of being in a small town. The gossip vine is pretty fast here." She waved towards the soft green cushions in one of the reading areas Gray had been admiring before. "Come, sit. My partner should be coming soon. Do you want to eat something? Drink? Read?"

"Huh, I'm fine just like this, thanks." Gray sat down and waited for a beat. "I wasn't expecting such a rich bookstore in such a small town."

"Oh, we love being surrounded by books. We knew that it would be one of the goals for us to reach, when we returned to our hometown." Lucy said easily.

"I see." Gray nodded only to pause when a blue haired girl, seeming a bit sleepy still, placed a tray with a teapot and a couple of cups on the side. On the other side of the tray were some small cookies, very delicate-looking cookies.

"Hi, welcome to our bookstore. I'm Levy." She newer girl greeted before plonking herself down onto an armchair.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Gray." He was starting to stand up when Lucy waved at him to stay seated. "I was just telling Lucy that you have a lovely place in here."

"Thank you. It has been a lot of work but it's been a lot of fun too." Levy answered.

"And when you have a side job…" Lucy added.

"Huh?" Gray looked between the two, confused but noticing the twin smiles the two were exchanging. "Is there something I'm missing?" he asked.

"Oh. Ah, sorry." Lucy said after the two exchanged a chuckle.

"See, we don't just love books," Levy said conspiratorially. "We also write them."

"_Try_ to." Lucy interjected.

"Haha, true. It's still a long path to having anything done, really." Levy said with a sigh while leaning bonelessly on the sofa. Lucy looked fondly at her.

"That's very interesting." Gray said, interestedly. He was leaning forward in his seat and could feel a small bubble of excitement in the pit of his stomach. Something was telling him that there was a lot of potential in this meeting he was just having.

"Getting to the end of a story is harder than crawling over hot coals." Lucy mumbled, finally bringing her cup of tea to her lips. She let out a sigh and got a small cookie, looking at it morosely.

"Writer's block?" Gray attempted.

"So much of it." Levy agreed from her lump on the sofa. "But! It _will_ get better. I know that we both will be able to get over this bump on the road and get back on track." She and Lucy exchanged smiles and held their hands in a comforting gesture.

"So, you write together or…?" Gray grabbed one of the cookies himself.

"Oh no. We have different ways of writing." Lucy said with a small laugh. "And different genres too."

"But we do read each other's work." Levy chimed in.

"That sounds very interesting. Would you mind telling me more? I'm kind of in the business."

"Really?" they said in unison.

"Yeah, you have some of our books in here. I-" Gray was saying but then the doorbell rang and someone entered the store.

"Gray-sama! There you are. Juvia has been looking for you everywhere." She said slightly breathless.

"Juvia. What happened?"

"Lyon-sama. The WiFi is back and you are to call him before lunchtime, and as soon as possible." She walked to the cosy reading area and extended her phone. "Do make the call, Gray-sama."

"Wait a minute, I'll call him from my phone. Ladies," he looked apologetically to Lucy and Levy before standing and starting to head to the door, "it was a pleasure and I would love to talk to you a bit more. Later?"

"Feel free to come back." Lucy said, standing from her chair. Levy was on her side and waving him and Juvia goodbye.

"Okay, I'll call Lyon now." Gray grumbled as soon as they walked out the door and he started tinkering with his phone. Only to pause as his name was called. He turned right on time to see Levy running towards him, his coat in her hand. He'd forgotten it again and just had a shirt on.

"You forgot your coat." Levy said pleasantly. "Really, do come back. We wouldn't be averse to talking a bit more. Books are our business." She said with a wink.

"I will, don't worry." Gray nodded to her and turned on his heel, walking to where Juvia was throwing daggers Levy's way. But he paid it no mind, already pressing the call button.

"_Yeah?_" Lyon's bored voice came from the other side.

"You're the one who told me to call ASAP. What's up?" Gray asked curiously.

"_Why, how silly of me to want to have business things going smoothly_." Lyon snarked. "_Just wanted to inform you that the change of plans about your meeting with the new author have been accepted and, since you don't know when you'll be able to get there but most definitely won't be there on the agreed date, now you have a videocall scheduled with mister Jellal Fernandes. Get ready for it and don't shame us_."

"Hey! What are you talking about?" Gray interjected in indignation.

"_The necessary information has been forwarded to you and your assistant. And yes_," the pointed pause had Gray wanting to plunge his hand inside the phone and punch Lyon right in the mouth, "_don't make Ur ashamed_."

"You're an asshole." Gray grit out.

"_So are you. Bye_." And he hung up.

Gray stood in the middle of the sidewalk, looking down at the phone in his hand. He felt the urge to punch something. Which wasn't uncommon for him after talking to Lyon. They had some phases of intense clashing.

"It's time to eat, Gray-sama. Juvia has found a nice restaurant." And with that she nearly dragged him to the Thunder God Tribe restaurant.

The bespectacled light brown haired woman that greeted them also took them to their table. She handed the menus and left the pair to peruse them.

Gray was relieved to notice that there was no seasonal holiday theme or anything on the menu. For a moment it was as if the air were more breathable. And the scent in the air was pretty yummy too.

It looked like cod was a specialty of the house. The two ended up choosing their dishes and making agreeable conversation. Juvia was sneaking some glances and Gray had to ask.

"Is something the matter?" he entwined his fingers and leaned forward, patiently.

"No, Gray-sama. Juvia just wondered why you were at that bookstore." She answered in her customary way.

"I was just walking about town and found that quaint corner. It was nice, and the owners were too." Gray noticed that when he mentioned Levy and Lucy the lines in Juvia's expression became harsh, almost as if she were outraged. "It was nice to find a bookstore. Also, I did notice some of our books in there."

"Oh? Which of the books?" she asked.

"I noticed Mattan's "Idol of Ice and Fire" right away – that cover sure is something." That elicited a snort from Juvia. "Then there was Vidaldus' weird "Ode to Music" and Wally's "Cubist Series". I'm sure there were other of ours in there too."

"Who would have thought that our company would reach this place, right, Gray-sama?"

"They seem to have quite an eclectic collection of books." Gray said in wonder. "It doesn't surprise me, though. Those two sure love books."

"Juvia believes that."

At that moment their food arrived and the conversation died down a bit as they dug in.

After finishing and paying for the meals, they found themselves walking down the street once more.

"What does Gray-sama think of having dessert in there?" Juvia pointed to the bakery that was in between the coffeehouse and the teahouse.

"Sure, why not?"

Once there, Juvia chose a lavish-looking tiramissu that came in a tall glass. Gray just went with a slice of cheesecake. The flavours were exquisite and it had been a while since Gray had had such a delicious dessert.

"Hi Gray. Juvia." Mirajane greeted them, coming from the back door with a box of what supposedly were pastries in her arms. "Are you coming to the celebration?"

"Celebration?" Gray asked.

"We are going to start the town's Christmas celebrations. We are a bit serious about the holiday," she said with a laugh.

"Is that everything?" a red headed woman came from the door and nodded to the boy who was at the counter and she waited.

"Oh, this is Erza, the owner and the force behind all the amazing goodies from Titania Bakery. Erza, these are Gray and Juvia, two of my guests at the inn."

"Pleasure to meet you." Erza said politely before turning to Mirajane and, now with some intensity in her gaze asked, "so you don't need anything else?"

"No, this is enough. I'll talk to you later. You guys want to come with?" was the huffed reply from Mirajane.

"Juvia would like to see."

And with that they went with Erza and Mirajane to the town square where a crowd was already gathered.

There were lots of people and it didn't take long for Gray to lose sight of his three companions. He found himself in the middle of a lot of unknown people and crushed from all sides with the feeling of expectation and excitement that came with Christmas. It was… sickening, to Gray.

Gray was squished and bumped and moved along to the crowd in such a way that he found himself beside the man from the coffee shop, Natsu.

Natsu was looking at him for a while before he held Gray's hand and started to walk in the opposite direction to the crowd.

What the hell? Gray thought. But he went along, anything was better than the happiness and excitement about Christmas.

* * *

Natsu had slipped away from the coffeehouse to go check the start of the celebrations. Lisanna had winked at him so he had her blessing, at least. Then again, most of the townspeople were gathered in the main square so he wouldn't be missed at the café.

The air was filled with energy and joy. There was a lot of excitement which also permeated the air, along with the conversations and someone was singing and this way the old man certainly wouldn't be able to make his speech. Unless Laxus gave the death glare that always silenced the crowd, that is.

Natsu was relaxed, a small smile on his lips, as he surveyed the crowd.

That was when he noticed that there was something strange, that didn't exactly fit the scene. And it had to do with the stranger, Gray.

Natsu could see that he was not relaxed or happy. He was giving off the opposite impression, actually. Tense posture, big eyes that were looking around as if trying to find an exit, anxiety screaming off every line of his body.

No, Gray didn't seem to be enjoying the beginning of the celebrations. And the crowd seemed to be pressing down on him and making it even worse. And Natsu felt compelled to do something.

So he did.

Walking through the crowd he approached Gray and paused close to him. And then Natsu considered his options.

Coming to a conclusion, Natsu grabbed Gray's hand and started walking in the opposite direction to the town square.

Natsu knew just the place to help Gray calm down a little. They just had to walk in the woods for a bit, on a not so clear path but Natsu knew the trek by heart.

Gray had tried to ask, possibly where Natsu was taking him but Natsu just strode faster. The two making their way up the hillside and on the snowy path.

Natsu led them to a clear area, the trees becoming sparser and where they overlooked the town.

The grey light was dimming and so the lights emanating from the town square, where the large tree must have been just lit, and from the town, really, reached them.

It was pretty. Natsu couldn't deny it. No-one could deny it.

And it seemed to be having a beneficial effect on Gray too. He seemed to be calming down, relaxing. There was a ghost of a smile on his lips, even.

Natsu walked to the fallen log he usually used and sat down on it. He looked at Gray who was still looking towards the town.

"Want to talk about what happened before?" he offered. "I don't judge."

Gray snorted and turned towards Natsu, walking to sit beside him.

"Was it that noticeable?" he asked in a toneless voice.

"Huh, only if one's looking towards your general area?" Natsu answered and grimaced. "You didn't seem to be having a good time."

"And I wasn't." Was the simple answer.

"I know that it's not my business or anything but… why?" Natsu asked and Gray turned his upper body sharply to him, a mix of emotions flickering in his expression, too difficult to apprehend.

"It's… complicated history." Gray ran a hand through his hair, forlornly.

"Isn't it always? Complicated?" Natsu muttered as he looked up at the quickly darkening sky.

"Okay, this is very odd of me to do but," he stopped himself with a snort before shaking his head and continuing, "the thing is, my parents died on Christmas Eve, when I was little. Since then Christmas has lost its… everything, really."

"Shit. That's… I'm so sorry." Natsu said, understanding.

"It's okay. I have a really great family and life is good but this time of the year… it's always rough." Gray leaned forward, his elbows resting in his knees and hands clasping together. He was looking at them, frowning.

"I can only imagine." Natsu said, understandingly. "And being stuck in a town that loves Christmas and where the high season _is_ actual Christmas… it has to be almost unbearable."

"That doesn't help." Gray said while looking at Natsu, a mirthless smile on his lips.

"Definitely. But, I guess I do understand. Christmas has also lost some of its luster to me." He was looking at Gray straight in the eye.

"You too?"

"Huh, yes and no." At Gray's confused expression Natsu hurried to explain, "see, my father is a linguist – and a pretty renowned one. And he basically is always traveling the world. Like, I really mean _always_."

Gray tilted his head to the side.

"So he doesn't come home for Christmas?" Gray asked, though his expression already showed that he knew the answer.

"He hasn't been home for three years." Natsu said with a sad sigh. "We do keep in touch, I talked to him on the phone this morning. But…" Natsu stood up briskly and kicked the powdery snow. "It's probably a bit selfish of me but I wish he would come home, we've talked about that but something always comes up. But talking on the phone, through email or a videocall, it just isn't the same, you know?" he said in exasperation but then caught himself. "Aaand I'm so sorry for blabbing like this. Your situation is so much worse and I'm here running my mouth and-"

"Hey, hey, don't worry." Gray cut in, standing up too and grasping Natsu's flailing hands. "It's not an easy season. It's okay."

"But, the funny thing is that I do enjoy Christmas. All the happy energy and good will in the air. It feels like a new beginning, you know?" Natsu said moving their hands a little, but they remained held together.

"That is kind of weird, to me." Gray shook his head. "No, to me, Christmas is grey and drab. And everyone is just pretending."

"That's a very cynical way to look at it." Natsu said with a snort.

"What do you know? I'm a bit of a cynic…" Gray stated dryly.

"You may be that but I'm an optimist. And think that good things do come. As for me, I just get busy and hang out with my friends." Natsu said with a good-natured shrug.

"My friends are also busy and my family knows not to ask. For these days I prefer my solitude. To be home with my books."

"That's boring. You should have a snowball fight or something. Go out and drink hot cocoa."

"You'll be surprised to know that, I don't do snowball fights."

"Oh, you don't?" Natsu said with a smirk, taking a few steps back.

"Don't you dare." Gray threatened.

"What?" Natsu questioned, angelically.

Before long half-assed snowballs were flying and laughter was echoing on the woods.

After agreeing on a draw – which was only because it was getting too dark and the lack of light going down the hillside made it dangerous.

They went back to the town, feeling a bit lighter and, strangely, more connected to the other.

As they got to the main street Natsu took a deep breath. He didn't lie, he really enjoyed Christmas and all the things that came with it.

"You're back to civilization." Natsu said dramatically. "Now you can find your way back."

"You call this civilization?" Gray asked teasingly. "Thanks, though." He stopped for a beat and opened his mouth. But he closed it and smiled at Natsu. "I'll be going now. See you tomorrow, maybe."

"Sure." Natsu waved at him as he started heading to the coffeehouse. 'I think I might have a friend in him…' he thought while there was a touch more pep in his step.


	5. Ploy

**Chapter Five - Ploy**

It was strange how things changed.

After that somewhat out of character conversation with Natsu, Gray had started feeling differently. And the air wasn't as suffocating as before.

Yes, Gray still felt off, uncomfortable with Christmas. Sometimes going outside still had the effect of nails on a chalkboard to him and had him choking slightly but, he could endure it a bit more.

Every day he and Juvia would go to the coffeehouse and ask for news but they were still pretty incommunicado from the outside – and that despite teams Quatro Cerberus and Oración Seis, whatever those were, being working in turns. But the bad weather wasn't helping and so the town was pretty much its own world – with access to commodities, of course.

He and Juvia had tried the teahouse and gone to the supermarket – where some goods were not as fresh as they could be – and Gray had returned to the bookstore and bought a few books to busy himself with. Preparing for the videocall was also something that made Gray keep busy but, it didn't feel like work.

Going out and chatting to some of the townspeople he was starting to meet was making him feel comfortable.

It was a very weird realization for Gray.

There was only one downside to all of this. And that was Juvia.

Gray had finally started to notice how she sometimes would behave. The glances – they were more glares than anything – she threw, the seeming protective stance she had over Gray. And Gray was just having a good time. But whenever Juvia went to the bookstore she would be emanating some nearly murderous vibes towards the owners and that not only weirded Gray out but also embarrassed him.

'I'll have to talk to her,' Gray thought as he finished the book by a certain author called Goldmine, "Soul in the Wild". And that was _some_ writing, it certainly stayed with you even after closing the book. Lunchtime was upon them and the videocall was in the early afternoon so time was of the essence.

They went to the restaurant and as soon as the waiter left them to go order the food, Gray looked intently at Juvia. She was tapping on the phone and when she raised her head, all her focus was concentrated on Gray.

It was uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Juvia."

"Yes, Gray-sama?"

"Do you need anything?" Gray asked.

"No," she said, tilting her head to the side in a slightly bird-like expression, "why? Does it look like Juvia needs something? Juvia is here to help Gray-sama."

"You were looking at me in a strange way?" was the failed attempt at pushing the conversation the way Gray wanted. "Like you were thinking about something or…?"

"No, Juvia was just checking if Gray-sama might need something more for the call later."

"I think I left one of my notebooks in the bookstore," Gray said and paid close attention to the flicker of a dark expression that went across her face. "Might need to go there to grab it. After coffee, of course."

"Gray-sama doesn't have to worry about that. Juvia will get it for Gray-sama. Juvia is here to help and give Gray-sama all she can."

And that, didn't sit too well with Gray. The food arrived and that broke the awkward atmosphere that had risen. Though things were still up in the air. Gray knew that this conversation wasn't over yet.

Silence reigned until they were out of the restaurant and walking to the coffeehouse. But then Juvia decided to break it.

"Gray-sama, Juvia wanted to say something." She started saying, slipping unsubtle glances his way – and it was in that moment that Gray _knew_ with stupid clarity what she was going to say – and then looking down at her hands demurely. "Juvia doesn't know if this is…" she cleared her throat. "Juvia wants Gray-sama to know that she li-"

"Juvia, I'm going to stop you there." Gray said, opening the coffeehouse door and motioning at her to go inside. "I am touched but, I don't like you like that."

They were talking in low voices and walked to a table before heading to the counter. But the noise Juvia did when she bristled still took Gray by surprise.

"What does Gray-sama mean? Gray-sama has to like Juvia. She has been doing all she can to-"

"I'm sorry but I'm not interested in you like that." Gray shook his head as she threw the coat – that he had remembered to bring, for once – to the back of a chair.

"How can that be? Juvia doesn't understand."

"You can't understand feelings. It's not how it works." Gray said and took a cursory glance around the room, relieved that no-one seemed to be paying special attention to them though Natsu and Lisanna seemed to be looking their way.

"Juvia does not accept that!" she started raising her voice. Some heads started to turn.

"Well, she better." Gray shot back gruff way, walking towards the counter. She went after him, glowering at him.

"Hi, I want one of those red velvet cupcakes and a latte… just a plain one." He told Natsu.

"Juvia wants to know why, Gray-sama." She growled into Gray's ear and that made his patience snap.

"You want to know why I don't look at you that way?" he took a deep breath. "Fine! I'm gay, okay?" he said in an accusatory tone. "So, I've been much more interested in Natsu here than in you. Heck, we've been getting closer. And thanks for making me out him like this." He concluded sarcastically.

"Wha-wha-whaaaat!" Juvia nearly has a conniption on the spot before turning all her rage and fury towards the new target, Natsu.

The other nearly recoiled physically, thrown to the spotlight as he was in the blink of an eye.

"Yooou…" Juvia started saying.

"Hey, I…" Natsu was looking flabbergasted between Gray and Juvia, he even raised his hands in a placating manner. "I'm not-"

"Yoooooou!" Juvia screeched.

* * *

To say that Natsu was beyond surprised – or shocked, even – was not enough.

Heck, Natsu had noticed that Gray and Juvia had entered the coffeehouse but the air between them was charged, like a thundercloud, and he knew better than to get in the way of the people who came to get their coffee fix. Still, Natsu couldn't help himself from occasionally glancing to the table the pair had settled on. He even noticed that Lisanna, who was finishing the replacement of the dishes and silverware, just from the washing machine, she was also looking.

They exchanged a questioning glance, but shrugged in answer. They just had no clue about what was going on.

Only that it wasn't too good.

So, Gray made his order, trying to present a pleasant façade but Juvia was too close, aggressively in his personal space. And it was noticeable that Gray was uncomfortable. And then, Gray's temper emerged. Natsu was doing his best to tune the conversation out but he froze at what Gray suddenly said.

"Fine! I'm gay, okay?" Natsu raised his head because the scene was starting to unfold – and Gray's tone could slice a diamond in half. "So, I've been much more interested in Natsu here than in you. Heck, we've been getting closer. And thanks for making me out him like this."

Natsu was so shocked at this that the plate containing the red velvet muffin nearly fell to the ground, but was swiftly saved by Lisanna's steady hands. But Natsu paid it no mind. Because then Juvia turned to Natsu and the glare she threw at him was filled with hatred and it was so violent that Natsu nearly felt the physical impact of it.

"Yooou…" she said, the word dripping venom.

"Hey-" Natsu had to defend himself. But what the hell was happening?

"Yoooooou!" The screech had everyone grimacing. But the woman, she looked absolutely pissed and murderous – if looks killed, Natsu was sure he'd just be a puddle of goo on the floor for poor Lisanna to clean. Yet, Natsu's eye was drawn to Gray.

And Gray looked positively beseeching and apologetic. And something inside of Natsu told him to go along with this ludicrous scene.

"What about me?" he asked in his customary posture. "You don't have anything to do with whatever is going on between me and Gray."

He purposefully ignored the noises that were coming from Lisanna or from Lucy and Levy who had just gotten inside the shop, just in time to hear his tirade.

"So, does that mean-?" Juvia was deflating and seemed crushed.

"Yeah, me and Gray, we have a thing." Natsu said in a half-challenging, half-teasing tone. "D'you have a problem with that?" he asked her, crossing his arms in front of himself and arching an eyebrow.

There was a beat of silence before Juvia ran out the door and disappeared.

Natsu huffed a breath and looked at Gray. The other had been strangely quiet but now he seemed to be uncomfortable. Though, it probably was because Natsu's friends had started cooing at them, over them and Natsu decided it was time for a strategic exit.

"I'll be back later," he announced, already going round the counter and grabbing Gray's wrist. The two were out the door in the blink of an eye but Natsu had no doubts that at least Lucy would be going after them. She sometimes had this side where she was way too curious for her own good.

"Let's go here." Natsu turned towards one of the places that his group of friends at least didn't dare to go and cause a ruckus. Cana's shop. It was the perfect place. No-one would go mess around the very exclusive wine shop in town. Not even the owner's friends. And even less when she was deep in inventory-mode. Whoever dared to bother her – with maybe the exception of Erza or Mira – was dead, unless there was a good reason.

"Cana, sorry to bother. I need one of your rooms for a while. I'll be silent." Natsu shouted as soon as they stepped into the store. Then Natsu just nearly dragged Gray into one of the small rooms that the building had, for some reason and the two sat in one of the comfy sofas. They were plush and a deep red colour, they did remind one of red wine – knowing Cana, that was the intention.

They sat and were silent for some awkward seconds. Just sitting and trying not to look at the other, much less in the eye.

"Soooooo…" Natsu drawled after what seemed like an hour. He waited until Gray looked at him. "What the fuck was that back there?"

"I'm so sorry." Gray's whole body seemed to emanate an apologetic feeling. "I… I had no idea that she was going to do that. And I didn't mean to implicate you in this thing."

"Well shit, that really went well." Natsu said sarcastically.

"She just…" Gray ran a hand through his hair, aggravated. "I had no idea she felt like that."

"You're kidding me, right? The way she hangs on every word, every action, every breath you take… it was… pretty noticeable." Natsu said, a weird expression in his face.

"To me she never seemed like that? I mean, she was – is? – a friend. And someone who works close to me but nothing more." Gray huffed and leaned back, visibly frazzled. "And all of this has great timing."

"How so?" Natsu asked, curious.

"Just some work thing. I mean, the call is still in…" Gray unlocked his phone to check the time. He got up with a jump. "Shit, the call's in half an hour." He started pacing.

"Okay, c'mere, sit down." Natsu stood and pushed Gray down onto one of the seats. "There's nothing much to be done about the Juvia situation. But you might want to compose yourself for that call. So, where are you going to have it?" Natsu placed his hand comfortingly over Gray's, which was resting in the armrest.

"All my stuff's in my room. So it's going to be there, for sure." Gray answered, still looking down at his phone screen.

"Hey, look at me." Natsu said in an authoritarian tone. "So, you're calming down, yeah? And that call is going to go well. But, we should still talk? Like, make it so that our stories match?"

"You're right." Gray regained his self-control and sat up. "So, how are we going to play this?"

"First of all, why did you say that?" Natsu asked, and he could admit that part of it was curiosity.

"What? That I'm gay?" Gray said with a snort. "It's evident, if I like men then there's no way for me to ever like her. Though, in reality I'm bi so… I just have no interest in her that way. It's not like you choose these things."

"You're so right." Natsu chimed in.

"But, I really am sorry for getting you into this mess. It's just that… you're one of the person's I've talked the most with…"

"Even if just to order a coffee…" Natsu teased.

"Heeey!" Gray mock-pouted. "It wasn't _just_ that. We did have some conversations and that _one_ on the clearing. Also, you're the kind of person I could fall for."

"Good to know that my charm is working." Was the quip. It just got an eye roll from Gray.

"Damn, I really wish I had a cigarette…" Gray muttered as he rubbed at his forehead. "Anyway," he said louder, "how do we do this? How and when did we start? Are we going to be boyfriends," and there Gray made air quotes, "for the rest of the time I'm here. How long until they said that the roads would be open again?"

"Hey, calm down a bit. That's a lot to unpack." Natsu raised his hands, motioning at Gray to calm himself. "Maybe we started on the day of the start of the celebrations, right, when we had our conversation, as you said," Natsu waved a hand vaguely. "We started talking and decided to give it a try?"

"Would your friends fall for that?" Gray asked.

"It possibly wouldn't surprise them too much," Natsu said with a nonchalant shrug.

"That seems to be quite a story…" Gray mused.

"Haha, it kind of is. But, we don't have time for it now." Natsu said. "So, how are we supposed to be acting now?"

"Huh, normal? I don't know."

"Dude, I don't know what _normal _is for you. How you _do_ relationships." Natsu looked at Gray with a "_you're an idiot_" kind of stare. But, at the same time, he was sitting sideways on the sofa, both his body and his attention on Gray.

"I don't _do_ relationships in any special way." Gray said sarcastically. "I'm pretty low-key, I guess."

"Good, me too. No flaunting there. So we can just start hanging out a bit then. Now that the _secret's out_." Natsu said with a snort. "At least we will have an excuse to go out together and such. Show a little of PDA, but they won't think it weird that it's very discreet."

"I guess." Gray said with a shrug.

"It wouldn't hurt you to be a bit more enthusiastic…" Natsu pouted at Gray.

"Are you always this silly?" Gray asked, amused.

"I'm not silly." Natsu replied with a huff. He crossed his arms, closed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at Gray.

"Sure, pink-hair…"

"So," Natsu looked at Gray and extended his hand, "do you think you can handle being my boyfriend for a couple of days?" he asked in a challenging tone.

"Bring it on!" Gray rose up to the challenge.

They shook hands.

And then Gray's phone beeped. An alarm he'd set to ring ten minutes before the call.

"Okay, time to go." Gray said, standing up.

"I'll accompany you. To wish you good luck." Natsu said with a wink.

"I'm going to regret this, right?" Gray asked in a long suffering tone.

"You'll be fine," Natsu said as he clapped him on the back. "Bye Cana. Talk to you later." He said as they exited.

It was time to get things going.

* * *

Something weird was going on. Lisanna _knew_.

It wasn't by chance that she was Natsu's best friend. The two of them went way back, since toddlers almost. So she knew her friend. And she knew that the scene between Juvia and Gray had taken Natsu by surprise, as it had Lisanna herself.

But Natsu's reaction had confused her. And had confused Levy and Lucy. And even later on, after texting her sister and Erza – well, posting the news in the group chat they were all in – everyone was surprised.

Natsu had been unpredictable – which, okay, that was how Natsu rolled and he could take most people by surprise with his wacky actions – and in a way that he didn't quite allow himself to be.

Lisanna had thought long and hard about her friend. He was pretty easy and simple to understand, wore his heart on his sleeve. But… but, there was this side of him that was a conundrum. Because, Natsu was pretty open and allowed himself to experiment and try different things, but there was a private side, a vulnerable side that only appeared in glimpses – seldom. Lisanna knew that only Igneel had been able to see that side and she was happy that her friend could let down all those walls sometimes. She had seen a glimpse of that vulnerable side once but it was not something she liked to think about. Natsu had been in too much pain over a person and she never wanted that to happen again. She only knew that one name and it filled her with anger – even though she knew _nothing_ of the situation just… Zeref. That was a name that was taboo. And the girls had made the vow to protect their Natsu.

But, there was something odd about this Gray, this outsider.

Natsu seemed to pay attention to Gray.

He'd come back from his escape with Gray and he was smiling. He was amused. And not even the teasing from Lisanna was able to put a damper on his good mood. Natsu had given back as much as he got from Lisanna and Cobra. When Bob and Enno got there for their shifts, Natsu was humming and tapping away at his phone.

After saying their goodbyes, Lisanna nearly dragged Natsu from the store.

"Okay, spill." She all but demanded. Her hand was squeezing Natsu's arm possibly a bit too tight but Natsu didn't seem to be bothered.

"Spill what?" he asked with his innocent expression that the two of them had perfected together so long ago.

"Come on. Don't play dumb. What's the thing with you and the city boy, Gray?" she asked, brimming with impatience.

"That's what we call him?" Natsu said, still with the innocent shtick.

"I dunno. I guess that you call him _boyfriend_? Come on. Tell me!" she nearly whined.

Natsu just blushed. He didn't say anything but to Lisanna that was enough.

"You _do_ call him boyfriend! Oh my god! Since when? How! What the hell?" she was going through a torrent of emotions and Natsu just kept his, slowly crumbling, poker face.

"Lisanna. Lis! Listen to me." Natsu placed both hands on her shoulders. He was looking at her seriously. "This is all very new and, well, it started at the beginning of the festivities."

"That was just a couple of days ago, though!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"Yeah. And so it's more of a reason to not spook the guy. You know, overbearing friends and all…" Natsu punctuated his words with a small shake to Lisanna's shoulders.

"I don't see what the problem is, it worked for Lucy and Levy." She said nonchalantly.

"Lucy and Levy are not the norm. So, please, please, please. Don't get in the way with this, okay?" he nearly begged.

"Natsu, you're so dumb. You know that we would never do something we think would harm you."

"You do know what they say about good intentions, right?" Natsu deadpanned.

"That's a good one. And, okay, I'll talk to the others and we are not going to meddle." She said with a disappointed huff.

"Good. Because, there's a lot you don't know. And, also," at that he paused and smirked, "I invited Gray to come to our dinner tonight so you better tell the others while I go get him to the hotel." He winked cheekily and left Lisanna. She just shook her head and started walking home.

Tonight they were going to decorate the Strauss abode. And, Lisanna couldn't help but think that it was going to be a very interesting night…

When Natsu knocked at their door, Lisanna went to open it and was faced with Natsu and Gray who looked slightly awkward and uncomfortable. But Lisanna had a plan – the group had a plan – so everything was going to go well.

"Welcome, Natsu, Gray." She said, waving them inside. The fact that they got inside as if they were getting into the lion's den – which wasn't too far from the truth – made her muffle a chuckle. "We were just starting, come along, come along."

"Thanks for having me here," Gray said, formally.

"Hey, nothing of that here. We're all friends here. Or, hope to be?" Lisanna said, noticing that Natsu had subtly held Gray's hand and that seemed to comfort the other slightly. "You don't need to be tense." She added while she led them to the living room. "Look who just got here," she said to the living room at large. All the eyes turned to the newcomers.

"Very smooth, Lis…" Natsu whisper-hissed to her ear.

She elbowed him on the side.

"Welcome." Mira was saying while standing and walking to greet the two. "Natsu, it's about time and, Gray, it's a pleasure to have you in my house. I know that you know my little sis and that one over there trying to choke on the food is my little brother, Elfman." The aforementioned raised his mug before chugging at its contents. "And you know my old friend, Erza, her pastries are amazing and we were just about to decide where to start."

"Food, of course." Natsu said to the room's general amusement.

The two sat on the sofa and Lisanna sat with them. She did hand out some appetizers as everyone knew Natsu wouldn't survive without some food right away – he was a bottomless pit!

Smalltalk was made, the tree and room were decorated. Gray started to relax a little bit, he was included in the conversations and his snark did surprise them but everyone rolled with it. At the end of the night, after everyone was beyond overstuffed with the food and drink, it already seemed as if Gray had been part of the group all along.

And, Lisanna had been in touch with Lucy and Levy and so she'd been telling them how the boys interacted. The suspicions about the weirdness and hastiness of the situation had them talking a lot. But the suspicion abated slightly at their behavior. They did seem to be closer, relaxed while in each other's space and Lisanna could see how much Natsu was enjoying himself. She was happy for him.

The evening went really well, and by the time their guests had left, she and Mira had a small chat – poor Elfman had gone to bed already as he needed to get up at ass o'clock – and Natsu was the main subject, of course.

Later, sitting on her comfortable armchair, Lisanna looked outside at the falling snow.

'I do hope it all goes well…' the wished to the falling snow.

* * *

The day had dragged on and on, or so it seemed to Natsu.

Fortunately his shift was almost over and he'd agreed to go meet Gray at the restaurant. Their front needed to be maintained and, Natsu couldn't lie to himself, he was enjoying himself actually.

They'd been acting close, holding hands, had shared a quick kiss near the bookstore before Natsu had had to run to work. It was going well, in his opinion.

Lisanna had been trying to make Natsu talk but he was doing a good job at fending her off. Yet, the arms on the clock were not moving.

There was a small feeling of anticipation that just wouldn't go away, no matter how many times Natsu told himself to calm down, that he was being silly. It wasn't like him.

At last, the time came and Natsu nearly ran out of the coffeehouse.

Gray was already waiting for him with a small – near non-existent – smile.

"Took you long enough."

"It's not my fault that time dragged on. But let's go in? Food awaits!" Natsu said excitedly.

Gray let himself be dragged inside, laughing.

They ate, while talking and presenting their act. Natsu had noticed that Juvia was sitting at a table on a more secluded area of the restaurant. And she didn't seem happy. Actually, there was a small bit of murderous intent in her stare, Natsu could feel the way her stare pierced him.

"Hey, d'ya want to come to my house? I haven't introduced you to my cat yet." Natsu said with a chuckle.

It didn't take long for them to leave the restaurant and the stuffy atmosphere caused by Juvia. The briskness of the cold greeted them, right into their lungs. Holding hands, they walked to Natsu's house. It was a good night, no clouds, no expected snowfall in sight, a moon shining brightly and, all around them, the Christmas lights that added colour to the silvery white.

Getting inside, they were greeted by a cute little fur ball.

"Happy!" Natsu said, delighted, as he bent and got him into his arms. "Come on in Gray. I don't bite." He said with a wink. Happy was looking at Gray with big eyes and started sniffing curiously at the extended hand.

"Curious little thing," Gray said in some amusement.

"He's my best friend, I'll let you know." Natsu hugged the cat until it mewled a little and started squirming, finally escaping and disappearing into the shadows of the house. "But he can be a bit shy too."

"It's normal. I'm a strange person here. And it looks like you guys have already decorated your house, huh?" Gray stepped into the living room, taking in the now twinkling colours and everything.

"We did this one first. They didn't want to make me feel left behind, I guess…" Natsu threw his jacket onto the back of a chair and plopped on the sofa. "You can sit. Make yourself comfortable."

Gray nodded and started disrobing. He took everything out until he was bare chested and plopped on the other side of the sofa.

"Okay, looks like you took it a bit too literally…" Natsu quipped.

"Hey, you're the one who said that I could be comfortable. I'm comfortable without clothes." Gray replied, shrugging and letting his head fall back onto the sofa.

"I didn't know you had an exhibitionist streak." Natsu said among laughter.

"Deal with it." And Gray stuck his tongue out.

They kept talking, about their lives, their day, books, Levy and Lucy. At one point Happy jumped onto the space between them and curled against Gray's leg, starting to snore lightly.

Little by little they fell asleep, heads knocking together and waking them with a jolt.

"Oww," Natsu said rubbing his forehead. "Looks like we fell asleep."

"Yeah," Gray agreed yawning.

"Wanna stay here. There's no need to go to the hotel." Natsu offered, yawning himself.

"You think so? But I don't have my stuff here." Was the objection.

"I can spare you a toothbrush. And you probably sleep naked, with that exhibitionist thing…"

"Mmmm…" Gray frowned. "I don't think I like when you're right."

"As if." And Natsu petted Happy awake before standing and pulling Gray up. "C'mon. time to go to bed."

"Where's bed?"

"My bedroom, of course."

"You're kidding, right?" there was a note of surprise in Gray's voice.

"What? We're just going to sleep. Sheesh, dirty minded much?" Natsu said with an eye roll. "I promise that I'll keep my hands to myself, if that makes you feel better."

"I just thought…" Gray started.

"The other rooms don't have the beds made. And now I would rather sleep. So, come on. It'll be fine." Natsu yawned again.

"Stop doing that! I just keep yawning." Gray mock-grumbled.

"Serves you right. Now, c'mon. Bed awaits!" Natsu fist-pumped with the hand that wasn't holding Gray's.

So they went upstairs, quickly followed by Happy.

And slept.

* * *

**A/N**: So, it this story a yay or a nay? Inquiring minds would like to know...


	6. Separation

**Chapter Six - Separation**

Natsu woke up at the crack of dawn as was his usual but, he knew that there was something different. He could feel it.

There was a certain wellness that seemed to be enveloping him.

Natsu cuddled further into it, letting himself stay between the states of wakefulness and sleep for a while longer. Happy was a comforting weight against the side of his leg but on the other side there was more too. That loosened the grip sleep had over him, like tendrils that were dissolving into thin air.

Natsu opened his eyes and saw that he was all entwined with Gray; his head was resting on his arm and he, himself, had an arm thrown over the other's torso and their legs were all jumbled together – with Happy resting against Natsu's leg that was in a more outer position.

There was a sense of peacefulness and contentment that Natsu hadn't felt in a long while.

Alas, he glanced at the time and with an almost inaudible groan he slowly started extricating himself from Gray's embrace. He had to get going because he was opening the coffeehouse once again. It was quite the hard feat though.

Fishing for a paper, he quickly scribbled a note and left it on the bedside table by Gray. Hopefully he would see it.

Then he had to quickly get dressed and out the door because while the weather conditions had improved and the works to reopen the road had to be at an end, people still counted on the coffeehouse being open early – if one waited for the teahouse to open, they would be disappointed because Freed usually just opened it in the early morning. And, it usually wasn't a problem for Natsu but in this one day, it was really hard. Natsu looked inside his room one last time and seeing Happy now resting against Gray made him smile. And then an alarm sounded from his phone and he was running out of the house.

Lisanna was already inside and starting to get the space ready and she had a small teasing smile on her lips when Natsu walked behind the counter.

"Did you have a good night?" she said in a tone that dripped with innuendo.

"It was very good, thank you very much." Natsu raised the innuendo with innocence.

"Awww, you're not going to tell your good friend about being so buddy-buddy with our new friend…" she patted Natsu's hand and batted her lashes at him.

"Hell no!" Natsu removed his hand. "I know how you are, Lisanna Strauss…"

"An angel and a magnificent best friend?" she flashed her innocent megawatt smile.

"You wish." Natsu nudged at her shoulder. "But, it was a calm night. Gray met Happy."

"Ooooh, that is important…" Lisanna waggled her eyebrows meaningfully.

"Shut up, you perv'. Ah!" Natsu let out a huff. "I'm surrounded by perv's now."

"You love it."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get to work because the crew should be getting soon."

And they set to work.

It didn't take long for team Oración Seis to get there and for noise to fill the coffeehouse. Natsu could hear Lisanna grumbling about how they could be so energized this early in the day and he couldn't help himself from laughing at her. But when Levy arrived, Lisanna perked up and Natsu knew that it meant trouble – especially trouble for him.

"Good morning Levy. What can I get you?" he said cheerfully.

"I dunno…" Levy said after a large yawn. "Maybe you could tell me everything you talked about with your dear friend Gray?" her sleepy demeanour had instantly evaporated and she was leaning forward on the counter, eyes nearly sparkling – and it was noticeable even despite the bangs that fell over them!

"I told Lis already. There's nothing to talk about. We… talked about lots of things. Books," he waved at Levy in a "there you go" motion. But his friends weren't fooled, unfortunately.

"You're not telling us everything." Lisanna said in a dramatic tone, nearly draping herself over Natsu's back. "How mean."

"Pfff. Go get the coffee and the sandwich for Levy. You girls are insufferable." Natsu said as he shrugged Lisanna off.

"Now imagine how it'll be when Lucy catches you." Levy said with a hint of an evil tone in her voice. "She still remembers."

"Oh yes she does." Lisanna sing-songed. "And it's payback tiiiime~!"

"Shut up!" Natsu said in mock-outrage but thought to himself that it was just better to steer away from his blonde friend for the time being. "Also, I wasn't the only one in on the plan!"

"But you're the only one we can do something about now." Levy said with a cheeky smile.

"You guys suck." Natsu grumbled, crossing his arms in front of himself and pouting.

"You love us." The two said in unison.

"As if." Natsu stuck out his tongue. "Enough talking. We should work, not be on the brink of a food fight."

"Erza would skin you alive if you dared doing that to her works of art." Levy said seriously.

"I think the coffeehouse would stop existing if such a thing happened." Lisanna added.

"True…" Natsu said with a contrite expression.

"You better pray she doesn't even dream that you ever dared to suggest that." His best friend said.

"Yoou…." Natsu said, affronted. He pouted once again but had to stop doing so when customers started coming in. Levy sat down at her customary table, reading something on her phone at times and scribbling furiously on a small notebook she always carried with her. And Lisanna and Natsu worked together, everything going smoothly like the well-oiled machine they were.

At around ten in the morning, a still bleary-eyed Gray got in and ordered coffee. Levy had been long gone but the trio behind the counter and in the kitchen had had a busy morning.

"So, Gray. Did you have a good night?" Lisanna said in her sneaky-yet-innocent-sounding voice at the same time that Natsu was thinking of which way might be better to avoid what would happen next. Lisanna was just like that.

"Yeah, it was quite nice." Gray paused to yawn. "But now I need to go talk to Lucy and Levy. We kind of arranged a meeting."

"Mmm, that's nice." She said. "Anything to eat with the coffee?"

"Lis…" Natsu hissed.

"No, thanks. I don't usually eat much for breakfast." Gray answered but he was a bit more awake and looking from Natsu to Lisanna and back again, definitely picking on the weird atmosphere. "Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing." Natsu said with finality, glaring meaningfully at Lisanna who just rolled her eyes and snorted. "Here's your coffee, don't worry about paying. Now go. Save yourself!"

"Okay, that's weird. And I won't accept not paying for my coffee." Gray stated, getting his wallet out. "I may be dating you but that's not how I roll."

Natsu could hear the noise of excitement that was coming from Lisanna, hoping she would stop.

"Okay, you'll pay me later. Now go before it's too late." Natsu said forcefully.

"Fine. See you later then. I'll text you." And with that, Gray picked his cup, gave a wave with his free hand and left.

Natsu let out a relieved huff but then Lisanna's hyperness returned. Not that it had ever left, to be honest.

"I knew it. You two are just cute together."

"If you say so…" Natsu rolled his eyes. "Now, let's work, yeah?"

* * *

Gray left the coffeehouse and wondered about the weird antics of the pair. He might not have been totally awake but he sure could pick up something strange happening. But he had other things to think about at the moment. Like Lucy and Levy. Gray sure felt like he had struck gold by finding these two writers.

He'd been able to read snippets from both their works and he was impressed. And that was the reason to their meetings. But first, he had to contact headquarters.

Can I call?

He sent that to his family chat. Both Ur and Lyon were probably up and about and could talk. And it was important that he talked about business but also to catch up with his family by, at least, sight. He knew that Ultear would probably not answer, as she was still out of the country.

His phone started ringing and Gray walked into a calmer area where he could talk with more privacy. He answered the call.

"Hey, Lyon," he said but was surprised to see both Lyon and Ur sitting at the breakfast table. "Oh, hi Ur." He gave a little wave. "How's everything in the civilization?"

"You ask us that? You're the one who's been excommunicated from the civilization and you have the gall to say that?" Lyon asked in outrage.

"Lyon." Ur admonished, frowning. Lyon looked to the side, unamused. "How are you Gray? Has everything been going well, despite being stuck in that place?"

"Everything's fine. More," he nearly started to bounce excitedly, "I think I met some interesting writers that would be a great addition to our roster."

"How's that possible?" Lyon scoffed.

"You don't know where you'll find the talent to write, Lyon." Gray retorted in mock-patience. It was a well-used jab between the two.

"Hey, you two aren't going to start fighting on the phone in the morning, are you?" Ur said, rubbing the bridge of her nose already.

"No." They said in unison.

"Good." She seemed placated. "But have you just been looking for new things to work on over there? I thought you would relax a little for a few days. I know you've been much stressed."

"We've all been much stressed. It's the end of the year." Lyon grumbled in the background. Gray rolled his eyes.

"So good thing the Holidays are coming." Gray noted in his "duhh" voice.

"Since when do you care about the Holidays?" Lyon asked in surprise. Ur's expression also denoted surprise.

"Huh," Gray blinked his eyes a few times before shaking his head, "me? Caring? I don't." He denied with shifty eyes.

"You're not a very good liar, Gray…" Ur chuckled. "Did something happen? We read that Magnolia Town is famous for its Christmas celebrations. Doesn't that bother you?"

"Actually, it seems to be bothering me less now." Gray said thoughtfully. "It's kind of weird."

"So, does that mean that we can count you for the Christmas party?" Lyon asked, suspicious.

"Possibly…" was the answer. It made a slight weight lift from his shoulders, seeing the pleased smiles on his family's faces. But then, a notification – an alarm – appeared on his phone. "Oh damn, it's this time already. I have to hang up. Have a meeting."

"Haha, go get 'em, Gray." Ur said with a laugh.

"Good luck, dumbass." Lyon said.

"Have a nice day, idiot." Was the retort. And then Gray was turning his phone off and hurrying to the bookstore.

Inside, he was greeted by Lucy.

"Good morning, Gray." She was moving books to and fro on a half-empty bookshelf. Around her piles of books were towering on the side table.

"Good morning. Isn't Levy here today?" he asked politely looking around.

"Oh no. She was up until the wee hours, went to get some coffee, came back and wrote for another couple of hours before crashing for the morning. But she'll probably wake up by lunchtime."

"That's the civilized schedule." Gray said in a serious tone.

"Are you serious?" Lucy laughed. "I didn't know we had another night owl here." She gave a small punch on Gray's shoulder.

Gray just huffed.

The bell above the door rang and the two turned to look at the newcomer. Juvia.

She strode inside, head held high and haughtily. She didn't say anything, just stopped and leaned against a bookshelf.

Lucy looked at Gray confusedly. In turn she only got a shrug. Gray didn't know what game Juvia was playing.

"Good morning Juvia." He said politely. But, beyond a frigid glance, he was ignored. But, that was fine with Gray. "I just wanted to give you a heads up. When do you think that Levy might come downstairs?"

"In half an hour or so. It's around the time she set her alarm to," Lucy replied with a wink.

"Okay, that gives me some time. I'm going to get some papers and will be right back." Gray said before walking out the store.

As he got back, Levy was already downstairs, though the air was slightly tense.

"Oh, good. You're here. Shall we talk business?" he asked with slightly more emphasis and enthusiasm than usual, if the surprised expression on Juvia's face was something to go by.

The trio discussed plenty of point, pausing every now and then to go help the customers that got there. And before long, it was lunchtime.

"Should we go have lunch?" Levy asked suddenly. "I'm kind of… fasting."

"Oh, yeah, certainly. Let's go. To the restaurant, right?" Gray asked, standing and starting to put some order on the scattered papers. "Juvia, will you also be coming?"

"Yes." Was the reply.

"You can leave it all there, Gray." Lucy waved at him and the table in general. "We'll come back to this after lunch."

"Let's go then."

The group went to the restaurant and food and conversation flowed easily. The relaxed air seemed to even start making Juvia start to return to her usual, slowly clingier form. Lucy and Levy seemed confused at that but Gray just did his best to ignore her – not that she was making it easy on him.

They returned to the bookstore and the meeting continued, and it was going really well too. At last, the business talk came to an end.

"Whew, that went longer than expected." Lucy said.

"It can get longer," Gray corrected, "I think that this now is just a beginning. There's still a lot of work to be done."

"But that work can be done another day, right?" Levy asked as she stood and stretched. "What do you think about going to the teahouse?"

"To be fair, I haven't been there yet." Gray mused as he was ordering the files.

"Oh, you have to try it. There are so many different kinds of tea and they mesh together so well with Erza's pastries… oh," she stopped herself and grinned a bit sheepishly. "It's good if you like tea, of course."

"I don't mind it." Gray said.

"Juvia doesn't mind either." Juvia finally said something. She's been mostly silent since they came from lunch, behaving with a mix between coldness and clinginess. It was confusing.

The four went to the tea house and spent the rest of the afternoon in there. Gray, Lucy and Levy got caught in the discussion of several books and plot points. At some points it became slightly heated but there was no harm done.

The sun set and plunged the outside world into darkness.

"It's dark already," Levy said. "Maybe it means that it's already open."

"What's open?" Gray inquired.

"The Christmas market. It started today and will be there for the next two weeks, until Christmas." Lucy supplied. "It's a lot of fun and you can always find something interesting and out of the ordinary in there."

"And sometimes you can find rare books in there!" Levy clapped her hands in excitement.

"That sounds really great." Gray admits. "Maybe I should go there…"

"Juvia will go with Gray-sama." Juvia said, brushing against Gray's right arm – she had gotten that close to him suddenly.

"Hm, no," Gray waved her off. "You don't have to come with me."

Juvia was about to reply but Lucy beat her to the punch.

"You're going to invite Natsu, aren't you?" she asked cheekily.

"That's none of your business." Gray said, the tone of his voice with slight offence and finished ordering the papers. "And so, I might see you later." He strode from the bookstore.

The three women stood still in astonishment for a beat before Juvia scrambled after Gray while Lucy and Levy sat at one of the seats and started plotting.

Gray had quickly gone to his room at the inn and left the work things there, thrown onto the bed. He hurried out, knowing that Juvia was bound to go after him, as she really had come back to her clingy form. And he wanted to catch Natsu soon. Hurrying to the coffeehouse, managing to go check on his car, mingling among the crowd and nearly jumping through an open window like a character from a movie, Gray managed to get to his destination. And right on time, it looked like the shift had changed and Natsu was about to leave.

"Natsu!" Gray said to the door that led to the kitchen. The bored-looking man sitting behind the register rolled his eyes.

"He's probably leaving through the side door."

"T-thanks!" Gray said as he rushed out. And right on time, Lisanna and Natsu were talking to someone inside the building. Gray walked to them. "Hey."

"Hi Gray." Lisanna said, smiling.

"Hey." Natsu added.

"Not to be rude to you, Lisanna," Gray started saying to her before turning to Natsu, "but I'm here to ask Natsu if he would like to have dinner with me."

"Dinner?" the word seemed to make the pink haired perk up.

Yeah. Gray mouthed at him.

"Oh, don't worry. Good thing, you can pay for that bottomless pit's stomach. I'm out. See you lateeeer." She waved before scampering off.

"That was odd…" Gray commented with a frown.

"It can get worse. But," he paused and walked closer to Gray, "you said dinner?"

"Come on." Gray held Natsu's hand and started walking to the main street. "Food first and then we can plan things."

"What things?"

"I heard that there is a market."

"Oh, we should totally go there. To have dessert."

"You really are incorrigible…" Gray said fondly.

"You don't mind." Natsu teased back.

* * *

After eating, it didn't take long for them to reach the large space that now held the Christmas market. Gray was really surprised at the amount of people and decoration and nearly everything that was in there. There were so many booths and people that it seemed like rush hour had just started in this one place.

"Wow, this has more people than I imagined." Gray said in amazement.

"We told you, our town really likes Christmas." Natsu replied with laughter in his voice. They were holding hands and Natsu gave a firm squeeze. "But let's go look for dessert. There is plenty of food for sale. And we can also look for gifts or something."

"You haven't bought all your presents yet?" Gray teased.

"Huuh, not really? There are a couple that are missing still." Was the slightly quizzical answer. "How about you?"

"Hm, you know my not so good relationship with Christmas. I don't usually buy things and I already bought some things to my family." Was the careless reply.

"Oh. Right. I'm sorry…" Natsu said, contrite. Then he gave another squeeze to Gray's hand and started walking to where the food booths seemed to be. "Anyway, let's look at things!"

They walked unhurriedly, dodging people here and there. And then, familiar faces came in sight.

"Lucy! Levy! You guys are here!" Natsu said in delight. "Where are the others?"

"They're still on their way here." Levy said, unsubtly looking at their joined hands.

The pair let go, pretending nonchalance.

"But we had arranged to meet around the food area so I don't think they'll take long to appear." Lucy added.

"No-one can resist the food." Natsu said as he was looking at the food. He walked into the booth where churros were being prepared.

Gray grabbed his phone and pointed at it, seeing that Lucy had noticed it and disappeared into the crowd.

When Gray returned, Lisanna and her siblings as well as Erza were with the group, exchanging sweets among themselves and teasing each other. When Natsu noticed Gray, he arched an eyebrow and Gray just shrugged and smiled. He walked to where Natsu was and stole one of the sugar-coated little balls that were in the box Natsu was holding. The dismayed noise Natsu made at the theft made his friends snicker.

It was fun and, despite the coldness of the night, it was also very warm.

And then, Gray went back to Natsu's house to spend the night. Happy came to the door to greet them and ask for cuddles, which were promptly granted.

Natsu led them to the living room, to the sofa. And they just flopped unceremoniously onto it, laughing when Happy decided to lay half on Natsu's, half on Gray's thigh.

"Looks like he likes you." Natsu noted.

"Good thing I like him too," Gray said as he gently scratched his chin. "It was a really nice evening."

"It really is." Natsu acquiesced.

"You have nice friends." Gray remarked. And then he let out a yawn.

"Okay, looks like it's time to sleep." Natsu stood, gathering Happy into his arms and extended one hand to Gray. "Up you go."

"Pffft," Gray snorted but did extend his hand, taking Natsu's.

They climbed the stairs and soon they were asleep in Natsu's bed once again.

* * *

The next morning came and Natsu found himself entwined with Gray and with Happy leaning against his legs once again. Despite it being the usual wake-up time, Natsu let himself relax for a while longer. He'd asked Lisanna if she could open the coffeehouse that next morning, as he really wanted to spend a little more time with Gray, and she'd accepted. With a lot of teasing involved but Natsu had the morning – at least the early morning – mostly off.

It was still immensely comfortable and grounding to be where he currently was. Embracing Gray. But it shouldn't be. It couldn't be. Natsu was perfectly aware that this thing currently wasn't real.

And the problem?

The problem was that Natsu, deep down, realized that he could be really falling for Gray. This person that had fallen into his life in such a way.

Carefully, Natsu slipped from the bed, from both Gray and Happy and saw how Happy, once more, chased the warmth and ended up leaning against Gray's legs.

It was cute. It was familiar. And it was something that might as well go up in smoke before his very eyes.

He couldn't let himself do this.

Quickly going downstairs, Natsu sat on the sofa. Mind in turmoil.

He got his phone and after looking at the time and doing some math, he pressed call.

"Natsu? Is everything alright?" the voice held some worry.

"Hi dad." He replied in a meek voice. "How're you?"

"I'm fine, son. But did something happen? We were going to videocall tomorrow." The worry still hadn't lifted.

"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot that you were going to speak at the conference today." He said in a self-aggravated tone.

"It's not a problem. I still have some long hours before it's my turn. And I was just looking at my notes." The warmth in the voice, as well as the run-of-the-mill situation put Natsu more at ease. "But you have something in your mind. I can tell."

"Does it show that much?" was the scoffed answer.

"Mostly to those who know where to look. You calling this early and outside of the usual – not that it's a bad thing, mind – makes it look like it's important."

"I… I don't know about the importance…" Natsu said with a sigh. He leaned back on the sofa and ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. He glanced towards the stairs before staring at the ceiling. "See, something happened and I think that you're the only person I can talk to."

"Very well." Igneel was waiting, patiently. "Feel free to talk, then."

"Okay. So, you remember when I told you that two city strangers got stuck in the town, right?" he waited for the agreeing hum. "It's this guy, Gray, and the assistant, Juvia. But the other day Gray suddenly dropped the bomb that we were dating. And, the idiot looked like he really needed the help so I agreed with his story. And so we started dating," he put emphasis in the last word, a mix of laughter and contempt. "And we did come to an agreement and we have been playing the part but…" he paused, with a sigh. "It's being really fun and I don't know? Today I realized that I might actually be falling for him." He let out a mirthless chuckle. "I do know that this has no logic and is fake and he's such a dumbass and sometimes I want to just punch him in the face and yet… and yet I also feel otherwise." Natsu closed his eyes, tight. "I don't want you to tell me this or that. I just… I needed to say this out loud. But can't say anything to my friends because I'm lying but at the same time it's not a lie and I can't tell Gray this because it will be awkward."

"Son…"

"This is a jumbled mess, I know. I'm just…" Natsu let out another chuckle instead of finishing his thought.

"It's not that. Natsu, I'm not there with you but I do think that you need to think and decide what you want to do. What is best for you." The voice made Natsu want to reach out and be hugged by his father.

"But I don't know yet-" he began.

"That is why you need to look at the situation. And, maybe talk to Gray."

"I won't do that now." There was a certain fluster to Natsu's voice.

"I didn't say that. But, from this afar I can't do much." Igneel now seemed sad and there was also a slight edge of self-recrimination, something Natsu had heard before.

"No, no. Don't say that." Natsu admonished. "What you're doing is important. And I really wasn't expecting you to come with a solution for this. I just, I needed you and you really came through on that, dad. And I do miss you but maybe one of these days I can come to visit. And we still have tomorrow's videocall."

"Natsu…"

"Don't worry. I'll keep you updated okay?" Natsu was beginning to rush. "I hope your lecture goes well and we'll talk tomorrow. Love you."

"…" there was a slight pause before Igneel replied. "I love you too, son."

And the call was over.

Despite everything, Natsu felt slight better.

* * *

The rich scent of coffee and food – delicious food – roused Gray from his deep slumber. He sat up on the bed, eyes half-open and one hand instinctively reaching for the fur ball that was resting against his leg.

Food. He thought, eyes closing once more, before he let himself fall back onto the bed. Damn, I could get used to this life. To this warmth… he thought with a contented smile. He stretched while lying on the bed and yawned. Feeling unusually relaxed.

That relaxation was short-lived because suddenly the fire alarm started blaring.

Gray was out the bed and downstairs in the blink of an eye, by the kitchen door, wide-eyed and breathing a bit heavily. He did not expect to see Natsu, on the phone and apparently talking to Lisanna on the phone while he pushed an extremely burnt toast out the window, holding it with the salad tongs. It was slightly ridiculous, to say the least. Gray started laughing, making Natsu notice him. Gray waved at him before heading upstairs to get dressed.

When he came back, Natsu was waiting for him.

"I guess it's better to have breakfast at the coffeehouse." He said finally as he offered Gray a cup of steaming coffee. "Though you can have some coffee to go."

"Thanks." Gray smiled tightly.

They eat in the booth Lisanna had already prepared for them. The air was slightly odd, almost as if a collective breath was being held, before it was released.

News traveled fast in Magnolia Town. And so it didn't take long for them to reach the coffeehouse.

"Looks like the road's open." Lisanna told them when she went to get their dishes.

The falling expressions at reality's call didn't go unnoticed by her.

"Looks like this is it, then." Natsu murmured and that got a small nod from Gray in response. Lisanna heard the exchange and tilted her head to the side, questioning.

That was the moment at which Juvia entered the coffeehouse, walking as if she owned the place. Haughtiness oozed from her.

"Gray-sama, it is time to go back. Juvia has heard that the roads are open again." She paused near the table where they were sitting. An imposing statue that demanded attention.

"I heard that too, Juvia. And yes, it's time to get going." Gray's words came stiffly and both him and Natsu could easily read what was going through her mind.

Juvia was delighted for separating Gray from Natsu.

Her expression was mostly neutral but there was a malicious smirk tilting the corners of her mouth at moments and it was just wrong. It didn't sit well with Gray.

Still, Gray had to go with her.

"Thanks for everything." Gray said as he stood and walked behind Juvia, out the door. He tilted his head in thanks towards Lisanna but not to Natsu.

No.

Gray didn't look at Natsu or turned back to take a last glance. He and Juvia went to the inn, got their affairs in order and before long they were on the car and leaving.

And then Lisanna, who had dragged Natsu by an arm to go see Gray and Juvia departing, and Levy and Lucy were looking incredulously at Natsu.

"What?" he finally asked.

"What?" the three asked in unison, with a long of blinks, weird facial expressions and Lisanna's nails plunging into Natsu's forearm uncomfortably.

"What the hell happened here?"

"Why did he go?"

"Why did he go like that?"

"Gray didn't as much as glance back. Did something happen?"

The questions were shot in quick succession. It was slightly overwhelming. He raised his hands, trying to calm them down slightly.

"Well, something, did happen." He started but nearly took a step back due to the intensity of their stares.

"What happened?"

"Spill."

"Tell us."

"Gray and I broke up." Natsu said with a shrug.

The girls' jaws fell to the ground.

"You what?!"

* * *

Gray had returned to the bedroom to get dressed. Being in just his underwear was pretty common to him, and something he did at home all the time but he'd felt something strange for a beat, standing in the kitchen nearly naked while Natsu looked at him.

Gray hoped that Natsu would finish his call in the meanwhile. As he got ready to leave the room, and after petting Happy, Gray got the flat package that he'd gotten the previous night. Descending the stairs, Gray headed to the Christmas tree and placed the package in there. He paused to look at the whole thing before taking a deep breath, squaring his shoulders and heading to the kitchen to meet up with Natsu.

"Sorry for the rude wake-up call." Natsu said as soon as Gray entered the room. "It looks like we might want to have breakfast at the café." He finished with an amused smile.

"Looks like your talk is over too. Was it the reason for the rude wake-up call?" Gray asked as he sat down in front of Natsu at the table.

"Haha, how did you know?" Natsu laughed sheepishly.

"Figures." Gray smiled before his expression became serious. "Hey, Natsu. I think we need to have a talk."

"I imagined." Natsu replied sombrely. He leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table.

"You might've guessed it. It's time for this relationship to end." Gray stated plainly. "The roads will open soon and we have to part ways. But how should we do it?"

"I dunno." Natsu huffs. "I imagine that we would be friendly but distant?"

"Can you even do that?" Gray asked with a challenging smile. He flickered out to seriousness quickly. "It has to be how we from now on behave."

"Of course." Natsu straightened and looked at the other. "I can be polite too."

"I guess that this is how it goes." Gray leant forward and extended his hand.

Natsu looked down at the hand then up at Gray, mouth working, as if wanting to say something but no words came out. Then, with a furrowed brow he clasped Gray's hand and shook it.

"I guess it is." He affirmed.

The handshake went for a long while, both parts unwilling to let go.

But Gray finally extricated his hand and placed it back on the table.

"So…" Gray said at last, fingers drumming on the table. "About that snow globe… did your wish come true?"

"Oh, that thing. No, it hasn't." Natsu scoffed at the idea before making a slightly guilty face. "Then again, I never really made a wish, you know?" he scratched at his cheek self-consciously.

"Ah! So you're selling that thing yet never tried it for yourself? For shame, Natsu, for shame." Gray said in a teasing voice.

"Hey, it's not my thing." He shrugged before getting up. Gray did the same.

"I guess it's better to have breakfast at the coffeehouse." Natsu said as he offered Gray a cup of steaming coffee. "Though you can have some coffee to go."

* * *

"But, it's okay, don't worry." He told the girls, in a placating tone. "I'm okay." He smiled at them before glancing at the road Gray had just taken. "It was nothing much, after all." He mumbled in a low voice, barely heard by the girls.

But still, he was heard.

The girls exchanged glances. Not convinced in the least that this whole thing had meant as little as Natsu was trying to make them believe.

* * *

**A/N:** What's a story without a bit of angst anyway? :P


	7. Distance

**A/N:** This wasn't an easy chapter to write. My apologies.

* * *

**Chapter Seven - Distance**

Gray went back home.

He dropped Juvia at her house and headed towards his flat.

Once inside, the door closing hollowly on his back, Gray was hit by a strange, unwelcome sensation.

Has the house always seemed this big and cold? He wondered as he walked inside and pieces of clothing were falling from his body as if by magic. He was just wearing his underwear by the time he got to the tall glass windows. They showed the city from above, the lights, the people, the buildings – they were in constant movement, even when snow started falling.

Gray pressed the tips of his fingers against the glass. The cold from outside almost reached him, yet, he felt an even greater cold from the inside.

Lifting his hand, the small condensation vanished in an instant.

Gray turned his back to the window and walked to the pristine white sofa, falling heavily onto it. He'd never felt the weird sensation he was currently experiencing. But, why?

I wonder if I made a mistake… he asked himself, contemplating the cloudy sky and gaudy lights. He closed his eyes and turned to the other side, lying down on the sofa. I wonder… The thought remained floating in the air. And Gray made sure to close his eyes and keep it away from him.

But, life in the city wasn't the same as when you're in a town that has been slightly removed from the world at large. It is fast and complicated and keeps on going. There's always movement and even stored energy will soon be set in motion.

Gray was no different.

Life went on as usual. He went back to the usual rhythm of things.

Soon Gray was too deep into the routine of work, meetings, meals and catching up on several other things so he got distracted.

He didn't notice that his family and friends were observing.

But Gray was back to the job, meeting with writers and editors, still courting the somewhat prickly Jellal Fernandes – thought Risley couldn't wait until she could start really working with him and she made that known.

New editors, new authors, new stories.

Things were going well.

Not exactly well, though.

Gray couldn't stand the slightly gloating airs Juvia sometimes sported, in those moments where she thought no-one could see her.

But Gray saw.

And it enraged Gray, deep down.

She might've gotten her way but it wasn't over, not to Gray.

And it would be at that moment that Gray would catch himself.

It is over. He always had to think sternly. There was never anything there.

Those thoughts depressed Gray.

He was making a good effort at throwing himself deeply into work but it just was not enough.

"Do you want to come over?" Sting said on the phone in his you're-doing-this-and-you're-doing-it-now voice.

"Sure. What time?"

"Go to our place after work. Someone will be there to open the door."

"Okay, I'll see you then."

At least Gray would be distracted while hanging out with friends – that always helped pushing the not so nice thoughts in the back of his mind.

Later, Gray was being welcomed into Sting and Rogue's house. The decorations, while not too overwhelming, did exude a warm feeling of Christmas.

That made Gray freeze.

He felt a strong, nearly overwhelming yearning.

It came from the depths of his core and left him shook.

It was almost like a slap to the face, leaving him without reaction.

"Gray?" Rogue asked. He was snapping fingers in front of Gray's eyes so that told him that he'd been gone for a little while.

"Ah, sorry. I… I was a bit distracted," he gave his friend a short smile before following him to the living room where Sting was sitting in his armchair but was being held hostage by the two cats in his lap.

"Sting was right. Something is wrong with you." Rogue sat in one corner of the sofa and motioned at Gray to do the same.

"There is nothing wrong with me," Gray rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Being purposefully obtuse.

"Of course not. That's why you haven't complained about the Christmas decorations and such yet." Sting counteracted with a winning smirk.

"I don't have anything to say about that."

"Yeah, that doesn't seem to help your case, Gray…" Rogue couldn't help but say.

"And whose side are you on, anyway?" Gray complained, barely above a whine.

"Yours." Was the answer by both of his friends.

"Then why the interrogation? Is this what you were planning to do during the whole evening?"

"Of course not." Sting looked positively affronted.

"We just want to help you with whatever's eating at you." Rogue cut in, already knowing where the conversation was going. "We can see that there is something."

"It's nothing." Gray grumbled.

Rogue looked at Sting and they seemed to be at a loss. Gray felt bad for his friends. He was aware that he was acting weirdly but he was set in pretending nothing had happened.

Because it hadn't.

"So, how are things at work?" Gray asked, in a very unsubtle change of subject. He could see in the other's expressions that they wouldn't let the matter go, but for the moment they did.

On the next day he went to lunch with Wendy, ate dinner with Ur and had an argument with Lyon about work. He also busied himself with work - lots of work. So much so that he could barely breathe without thinking about work. Or worse, that his thoughts strayed and he noticed how much he missed Natsu.

Yet, no matter how much he busied himself and he strove to tire himself during the day, whenever he would get home, the reality landed on his shoulders.

Gray closed the windows, not wanting to look at the vast city, the way the lights reminded him of a tall Christmas tree, of a certain clearing. He spent his nights on his sofa instead of the bed. Strangely, he was having some reluctance towards sleeping in his room.

Gray had known, growing up, that there was a certain coldness in his life after his parents had died. He knew that Ur and her family had done the best they could.

But Gray had never felt like this.

He was finally realizing the thick walls of ice around him. And the cold was still spreading.

Gray closed his eyes and huddled on the sofa, hiding under a soft duvet.

He hoped for a dreamless night.

* * *

Natsu didn't let the change get to him.

That was how he was, he rolled with the punches, adjusted and always kept going.

So, Natsu kept himself busy. Work, friends and the town preparations for the celebration pushed him to continue going.

"I can't wait for the snowman contest," Lisanna was saying, drumming her fingers on the countertop, shifting from one foot to the other and tapping her foot to a beat only she knew. There were no customers at the moment so they were relaxing.

"Why? Planning on entering it?" Natsu asked in a teasing tone but even he could hear that it was slightly hollow.

"This year the Strauss family will win!" she said after a beat. "How about you?"

"Me?" The question was asked in a very surprised voice. The deadpan stare Lisanna gave Natsu had him rolling his eyes. "Hey, I'm not going to do anything other than circle around the food contests. I might get lucky…" the smile he pointed towards Lisanna had her stare turning to a frown.

"That's not fun, Natsu." She complained.

"Well, I don't have much time for fun. I'm busy." Natsu stood and started getting ready to go out. "And speaking of which, it's time for me to go. Gotta go meet Elfman."

"You're not fooling anyone, Natsu." He could still hear Lisanna's words long after he'd left the coffeehouse. They didn't sit well with Natsu.

"Ah! There you are, Natsu. Ready to help out?" Elfman boasted as soon as Natsu walked into the warehouse.

"Sure thing. What have we got?"

Elfman pointed him to the area where there were people already carrying heavy loads of cargo from one place to the other.

Natsu quickly joined in the task at hand. There was still a lot to do and Natsu was ready to lose himself in the motions.

Later, much later, he went home, only getting the time to drag himself to bed and fall on it, half dressed. He passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

It wasn't the first night this happened, but all the help was needed, he reasoned. At least this way he didn't have the time to think about unnecessary things.

The cycle repeated in such a way that his friends – the traitors – called Igneel so that he could check on Natsu.

"How are you doing?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm okay. Lots of work to be done, as you know." Natsu replied in a nonchalant way.

"Your friends are worried about you, you know?" Igneel's reasonable voice made Natsu feel guilty.

"I don't see why…" he started saying.

"Natsu." Igneel admonished. "They told me what happened. And why you're acting like that."

"Nothing happened though." Natsu complained.

"No? And what about that conversation we had about Gray?" he reminded in a gentle way.

"Huh, that… that's – that was nothing, in the end." Natsu's fluster reached his voice.

"But you didn't think so when we talked." Igneel stopped for a beat, waiting.

"No. But things aren't always like we want them to be. I am enough of a realist to get that." Natsu said harshly before all the fight left him with a sigh. "Sorry. I… I don't want to talk about this."

"I won't make you. But remember that I'm here if you need anything." Natsu could feel Igneel's earnestness even through the phone.

"I know, dad." He assured him. "Thanks."

"Good. Now, have you been eating well?"

Natsu couldn't help the laugh that bubbled from him. It broke the tension between them.

"Yes, I've been eating very well. Don't you worry." He said with a small smile. From then on the conversation eased into other topics.

Still, Natsu kept working himself to the bone. Even Happy seemed to be worried, if him always being close to him at every moment he was at home was of any indication.

But Natsu was stubborn.

He knew what was best.

One night, as he had offered to be closing the coffeehouse, Natsu was cleaning the place – having nearly pushed Lisanna out the door. He couldn't help but be grateful for his friends. They were really great.

While dusting the place, Natsu saw the snow globe. It had been a while since he'd actually looked at the thing and the thoughts that surfaced had him nearly staggering. He caught himself on the counter and took a couple of deep breaths.

He'd seen a number of people making the wishes but he'd pushed those things to the side. And maybe, it looked like it was his turn.

With a deep breath, Natsu stood straight and walked to the object. He picked up the snow globe, looking at the contents twirling and being so carefree. It was a sharp contrast with the way he was feeling.

Finally, closing his eyes, Natsu shook the snow globe and made his wish.

I wish to be with my loved ones and that we all have happiness in our lives.

He opened his eyes and placed it down. A frown on his face.

Quickly, Natsu finished cleaning and turned off the lights. He closed the door and promptly left.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm trying to post the next chapter tomorrow - I had the dumb idea of giving this dumb gift to the "fandom" but it doesn't matter, clearly - but right now am unsure if that's going to be possible. Oh well.


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